


Play Me Live

by LostInQueue



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, star wars the last jedi
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Attraction, Ben Solo POV, Ben Solo is the boss, Ben Solo loses his mind, Ben Solo undercover boss, Ben is Matt the Radar Technician, Ben likes Techno, Bets, Candy, Confused ben solo, Crude Humor, Deception, Disguise, Drinks, F/M, Finn is warehouse manager, Fluff, Friendship Forming, Games, Gen, Humor, Kylo is Rey’s fish, M/M, Matt and Rey share interests, Matt the radar technician pov, Matts first day, Mild Smut, Modern AU, Music, OCD sex, Obsessive-Compulsive, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Office Setting, Panic, Picking, Rey Kenobi POV - Freeform, Reylo - Freeform, Reys being ignored And knows it, Rey’s Ben’s employee, Rey’s a electronica musician, Rey’s in sales, Slow Burn, Uber driver - Freeform, Undercover boss mentality, armitage is weird, dying hair, flirtatious angst, innuendos, lasar tag, not all Uber’s are safe - sorry it’s true, obsessive compulsive Ben Solo, security company, too much anxiety, warehouse games, warehouse work, working in an office - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 15:39:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16222130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostInQueue/pseuds/LostInQueue
Summary: Rey works as a sales associate at New Order Security Co., selling security cameras and equipment to all types of businesses and residencies. It’s boring, or she’s just too good at it. Either way she’s enjoying time well spent on her own projects during lunch and bets with Poe Dameron throughout throughout  the day.That is until she meets Ben Solo.





	1. Chapter 1

Inspired again by a beat RADAR put out last night has Rey’s mind in the clouds coming up with a retaliating remix of his work... ‘his right? I mean...artists use covers for their work all the time. Maybe he’s not really a he? But I’d be a total shit if I wasn’t impressed with last night’s vocals.’ She smiles pumping them through her headphone speakers on the way to work, giving her a new skip to her step. A lightness exponentially flows through her, singing the lovely tune with one speaker pressed forward doing the beautiful chorus justice with her own angelically poised voice. 

Undoubtedly in her own world, she’s unaware of the looks she’s getting from some of the older staff on the way into her office building. Poe gives her a wave holding out his arm for her to join the packed elevator. “What do you think about the new release?” He asks. 

She literally backs up excusing people around her from the back wall of the tiny lift. Her head thuds on the wall behind her, having the lewdness to get the wackos she worked with going, “it’s like pure ecstasy, Poe.” Looking to the ceiling she builds her own beautiful chords remixing the original on the go, pulling her ethereal vocals from her as if she was painting a scene with them before her.   
Poe’s face turns bright red watching her spectacle. 

Her smile stops her from her audio-assault, lifting her lashes slowly towards him, with a chuckle. At Poe’s floor, Rey pushes off of the back wall, sauntering with him, smugly “how many blushes like you?”  
Poe’s grin only spread wider, turning to double check, “about half.”

Cockily she glances back with only the turn of her face over her shoulder, winking, before sauntering off with Poe around the corner. “Well there’s the bar...” as if their game could get any weirder.   
Perfect. Their little game of ‘horse’ accelerated from being simple treasured wins at work like picking from Holdo’s candy dish for the other one, when she wasn’t looking of course. Good God that woman could carry on like you just ate her life’s work. Like she actually works part time at a factory putting the cold hard time into making and forming the chocolate. It was a hefty price for a piece, but if Rey won, she wanted only the ‘worst’ turnaround for Poe. It always seemed to get the best reaction. It soon changed over to who was buying lunch or a beer after work. But then... she won his orange tabby, BiBi and it’s been serious since. 

“Eight...” Poe complains. 

Rey giggles, “was it really that many?” Grabbing her extra headset that she’d roam the floors with.

“Yeah I’m pretty much fucked. What are we playing for anyways?”

“BiBi’s cat tree.” 

Poe’s eyes widen, swiveling his face back towards hers, “You can’t keep BiBi.” 

Rey smirks with an uneven laugh, “You haven’t won him back.”

“You don’t play fair...” he leans in, “your sex appeal is not a fair tool.” 

“Oh, hang on, I can’t just go have a burrito and gas up the elevator like you. You’re not taking that from me, or this game is over and BiBi stays mine.” 

“You can’t make rules like that.” 

“Rules like what?” asks Armitage Hux, head of the sales floor. Not waiting for an answer, speaking to Rey, “You don’t belong on this floor.”

“And you don’t belong in this conversation,” she can’t help but allow slip from her mouth. Blush sweeping across her own face at the catch. 

“That one counts for me, or against you,” Poe tries to stifle a laugh. 

Armitage just looks at them, ready to speak again when Rey gets and incoming call. Lifting her finger to him, she sounds like she’s speaking in tongues about security camera models, and how many they had in stock in warehouses along the Eastern Seaboard. 

Poe, entertained by Armitage’s face trying to nonverbally tell Rey to go up to her floor, mouths, ‘point won.’ Nodding now to a manager losing his cool. 

Rey mouths ‘cat tree,’ goading him on for the rest of the day, leaving Hux utterly confused as she left the floor.

Reaching her desk... well the company’s desk, she didn’t buy it or put a purchased one there, giving herself the ability to roam the New Order Security Co, floors at will. When she was up at her perch it was only to punch out orders and hangout with her pet fish.

The only ‘person’ who understood her on this floor was her fighting fish, Kylo, who she was not supposed to have, she hid in a multitasking vase. He was gorgeous, all black with the deepest red tail she could stare at for hours. He understood her views on her mundane life in sales. Kylo would give her that look when someone new from the Resistance would call. They were a hodgepodge mix of a company looking to put cameras on everything, which made them their biggest client. But oh, Kylo knew when it was a bad day or a newbie. His fin would swish, ready to charge his reflection as if he could see it form within Rey’s lovely completion. They’d be on the same level- the fish would stare just so getting her to unsuccessfully ask for another representative to sell to or just hang up completely. Good Lord if she has to explain the difference between security cameras as if she was getting ready to explain brain surgery to another customer looking to take a rain check, she was going to bash her computer screen in. Kylo seemed to know. On days like that she’d give him a special treat to work on specially caught from the break room’s fly strip. 

Oh, the looks she could gain from that shit. Kylo was clearly the way she was winning all of the time, but it was their little secret.

On days Poe wasn’t there or busy since his help left for a better job and pay, she’d hang out with her fighting fish, who would give her the best ideas for her songs she’d write on the side. Rey was a musician of sorts. Vocals and electronica were a gift. Her lunch hour would have her scaling the building for a place she could get adequate sound, making friends as she visited each floor. It turned out that bare offices and conference rooms were complete shit. Under her cubicle was okay, but cramped her posture making her sound fuller than she should. Eventually she came across the elevators. 

Watching the activity for a planned time of use, Rey began taking her lunch from two to three since no one else seemed to. 

It made all the difference being in there. The sound was richer than the open space through the office, it just made so much sense. Except for fighting for silence. There was almost no way to record a chorus without some asshole not taking the stairs at that moment.

This afternoon’s lunch was no exception. Multiple people fucked up her plans stopping her to ask what she was doing sitting on the floor with her laptop. “Shitting,” she deadpanned to all but one who had only the nerve to stare her down. Rey could feel the person’s eyes on her, their stature from her point of view was the same as everyone else’s being that she greeted everyone by their knees instead of eyes. What she didn’t realize though was if this newcomer was a woman or man. 

Not particularly caring she sucked the saliva that coated her Strawberry Cheesecake flavored lolly from Linda’s Lollies Gourmet Lollipops, diligently in front of this person. Pulling her headphones slightly off her ear she asked with extra sass, noting she only has twenty more minutes on lunch, “What floor lady?”

A menacingly low voice came from the stranger expecting a response, but he got none. 

Knowing she could only reach ten, she replies, “Get it yourself. Can’t reach.” 

“Get up,” he demands. 

“Stop talking. You’re wasting my time,” she brings up a new window trying to find the right beat for the recording she’d been working on she presses the door closed button once more telling him to do it himself.

Finally, he moves silently over her, looking down at her setup. Rey, mostly oblivious to how he’s staring on at her takes another lick at the top of her sucker asking, “Any allergies.” 

To his no, she commands him to open his mouth, irritated with his misuse of her time. 

All at once he’s lower, close enough to feel this stranger’s breath on her bare shoulders, “Beg your par— “ 

All at once she’s slamming her sucker into his mouth, surely catching him off guard had she had the nerve to look. “Now suck,” she’s had enough. “No noises...or you can have my dirty sock,” pulling at the elastic knitted rim.

Finally pulling her mic back to her lips she repeats the beat, treble and the main build she’d been working on all week.

“Pure ecstasy, babe please, you and me...” she records to echo in the background. Each elongated staying within an angelically erotic pitch. 

An alert on her phone and six more people has her openly cursing at the lot. 

“What did everyone get off at three?” 

Rey closes her Mac book, finally actually focusing on the man she told to take her favorite sucker, still unaware of who he was or what purpose he had with the company. For all she knew he could be some weirdo that liked riding elevators. A hot weirdo. Waiting for the lot of cattle to get off at twenty-seven, she approached the man. His uninviting appeal was taunting, his large brown eyes starting her down. Unscathed by his height and broadness she challenges this dark-haired beast of a man.

Careful not to look him over too many times, Rey’s mouth pops open, spouting yet again some choice words, making him clamp down on her sucker. 

‘A tease?’ she thinks. ‘It’s been so long since a good bit of fun with a tease.’ She bites her lip and takes the stick expecting him to be compliant as she does, receiving the exact opposite. To be sure she’s not crossing any boundaries, she asks, “Married?”

Muffled answers to each of hers.

“Na-ho.”

“Seeing someone?”

“Nuh,” the next sound he gave. 

She leans in that much closer, “Give me my sucker.”

“Ohar whut?” He tries, leaning casually against the corner of the elevator. 

Pulling gently so as not to pull his teeth out with it, she brings him down into her reach, with the softest stripe of her tongue under his upper lip, he sighs a moan releasing her sucker. His last visual of her was the dirty little wink she gave him, pressing her tongue over the surface as if it was a melting ice cream cone. Intentionally letting him watch her lap the rest of where he assumed, he was before turning on her heel to promptly leave on the thirty ninth floor, her hips waving side to side as she goes, waiting for the doors to slide closed before she all but runs to the stairs, practically flying down ten levels back to her floor. 

——-  
Ben Solo, who is famed for his uncanny ability to lose his shit on short notice, also happened to be the owner of the company, capitalizing on residencies and businesses alike who purchased almost anything for security. It seemed simple enough, focusing entirely on making sure each department did their job and sales raised their profits every quarter, they were fine. In fact, he quite enjoyed making sure everything was in line by floor. Making his employees squirm was by far the most fun, but now left in the wake of her swaying hips and now closed doors within the elevator, he can’t help but look her way. 

“Thirty-nine” he mumbles, “What’s on thirty-nine?” His brow furrows... ‘It’s just extra space’ he remembers when he bought the building, not wanting anyone else to be in it as they grew. ‘She got off so comfortably, like she knew where she was...’ he’s thinking about it more, ‘was it even real?’ Ben licked his lips still tasting that oddly delicious lollipop, and the discomfort it gave his jaw at its size, ‘I can’t be in my own head...’ he thought. 

——-  
“Wait, wait, wait... slow down. You have to go slower. I can’t understand you when you’re that fast.” Poe tries to slow her on the phone. 

Rey explains one more time, as slow as she can, picking up speed on every syllable. 

“You did that to who?” 

“I don’t know some tall guy going to the top floor.” Rey says all that much quicker. 

“Listen... I think we ought to talk about this over a beer, oh and since you’re this frazzled, I win my cat back too.”

——-  
It literally took Ben all day to get the images of her out of his mind. Her spunky little attitude, and nasty little innuendos would swirl up in his mind revisiting the memory again and again until it hit him. Making best of the situation, unsure if he wanted to see her again in case, she was some crazy woman that did ‘that’ to everyone, he mulled over the internship position that they posted every spring time at the local university. Avoiding posting this year he filled out his alias as ‘Matt Radan’ making sure that the ‘r’ looked like an ‘n’ even though his obsessive-compulsive disorder threw his mind for a loop trying to accept it. 

Ben’s online presence never developed past his screen name ‘RADAR’ which eventually developed a bunch of different fan groups that would scour the internet like locust to find out anything about him. This he thought was the best part of being a musician. Electronica was fun, but he liked to dabble in it all, eliciting many different indie related worshipers. Music though, was a challenge especially in vocals. After posting works that took him do, he would find himself shifting through comments of infatuation, trying to see if there were actually involved interests as to how he came up with the piece and what it meant to the fan. 

His favorite finds were from one particular presence ‘Just_Deserts’ which he wonders time and again if the person literally didn’t know how to spell dessert or if the inspiration was from the desert? Their responses usually gave an indication of heat or exhaustion... need... so maybe the latter was true. 

Setting himself up as the only candidate in the lottery, he thinks about what his disguise should be. Cutting his hair was out, and bleaching it was too. Ben was quite happy with his naturally dark mane and coloring it meant damaging it. That was a no. Next on the table was the thought of a wig. It had to be believable. ‘Like if she touched it,’ he groaned trying to handle the pressure building within his pants, as the sensation of her tongue roamed over his lip.

Nothing else got in his way for the next couple hours as he did his best to come up with a college rendered business casual wardrobe, his wig that he’d have to color at home, and a bunch of normal things to talk about if he had to open his mouth. It was going to be a long weekend.

———  
Friday night usually meant a bar, some drinks, a nap and then working a rave down at the abandoned pier. Tonight though, Rey met with Poe, his boyfriend Finn at The Connix, the only bar in town that was literally only a bar. As in there was only enough space in their development to make a hallway of a space behind the braced stools, deep into the building. Their bar split the space by a third, which left the space behind the bar decorated with glasses, beverage selections, including house brews at taps throughout the length. Kaydel, the owner now, succeeding her parents, always called it something quite more provocative being the only natural light came from the doors, but never changed the sign. 

“What’ll it be tonight?” Kaydel asks noticing Rey’s mortification. 

“Something hard. Surprise me,” she said loudly walking through the sea of men raking her over as she passes, “And I don’t mean a dick.”

Poe just slides his hand over his face in exasperation. To his own surprise Finn had been waiting for them, shelling peanuts, and watching —trying— sort of trying to watch the baseball game so that he could avoid any more disturbing conversations with Kaydel. She could just run with any idea given. 

“I’ll just take my regular,” Poe nods putting his arm around Finn. “You gotta hear this story. Rey, slowly this time... like a nice slow lay.” 

Patrons around them perk up hearing such a description for a relaxed conversation. Rey begins to work on staying slow, accepting her drink from Kaydel, sipping it to stay just so. 

Finally finishing with the description of him which makes Poe spit his drink. “That’s Ben Solo!”

“Who the hell is that?”

“The owner of the company,” he says in his ‘are you stupid’ voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music : 
> 
> Do You Feel Me (Feat. Julie Thomson) by Tiesto
> 
> There are some rewritten lyrics to songs for this fic. If you don’t listen to trance/techno/dance it may be hard to envision/hear/sing to.


	2. Chapter 2

Pounding music, she thinks is banging in her head when she wakes up in Poe’s apartment. 

“Never again...” she moans to herself, sleeping in what she’s sure to be some of Finn’s dirty clothes, piled up high on their navy-blue Ikea couch. ‘Ugh it smells dirty,’ smelling her breath, ‘or maybe that’s me?’ She huffs another sigh trying to sit up she figures it may just be best to take a shower. Yes, a shower. Her eyes still low hearing the grumble of a bass she remembers all too well, steady and true, Rey turns to check for her headphones... not those... ‘oh...’

Nope! 

Rey washes her face in the kitchen sink waiting for the ping on her phone to tell her when to be down stairs for some guy named ‘Snap’ in her Uber app to show up. ‘Snap,’ she thought. ‘What a weird name’ sort of excited at the idea she could be pepper spraying someone in the face this month. Danger wasn’t really something she was looking for actively but wasn’t something she was afraid of per-say. 

‘Snap’ actually wound up being a nickname which he gained for being heavily into jazz. Not at all what she expected from the man’s build, but it wasn’t like she was really checking him out right? ‘What is it with guys and dark hair?’ She rolls her eyes inwardly. Snap looked like a young Santa Clause. Hilariously enough she let her eyes roam over him matching an image of Santa on her phone, smiling openly at the suggestion her brain was feeding to her. Snap, however, was not part of this conversation. He was part of her body’s. His own pushed into the seat trying to stifle a groan while she sucked in her bottom lip looking at her phone, then to his neatly trimmed beard, down his neck, and back to her phone. 

Breaking to a full stop Snap looks up at her in the mirror, clearing his throat before he asks, “Do you need any help bringing anything in?”

Rey’s eyes stay low, replying, “No thank you Snap, there really isn’t much to get, just my phone and purse. Thanks though, been a pleasure.” She looks up knowing full well what that look is for. ‘Fuck’. She scoots off to the side hearing his doors lock puts her right into fight mode. ‘Snap is too big to get into the back seat’ she thinks, planning out her strategies in her mind Rey already has her finger on the emergency button on her phone. ‘Who gives a shit, honestly, if they make me pay for it.’ Her body is hers to give not someone else’s to take, and certainly no Santa imposter is getting between her legs this morning, in the back alley of her apartment. At the pull of his seat back to reach for her she pulls the passenger’s lever as well, giving him a second to think he may get his way in all of this, but then she pulls up the lock, slipping out the door, taking a video in her wake. 

——-

The remainder of the weekend was spent in her apartment or walking. Uber has been permanently stricken from her usage thanks to ‘Snap’, which honestly Rey could have done without. Spring had been on its way out into summer which allowed for less to hold and wear.

Walking to work on Monday together, the trio find their way into the building, chatting up a storm all the way into the elevator. 

“Don’t apologize, it’s really nothing that you did... or we’re doing... kind of actually,” she laughs. “It’s your time... you do you... or Finn,” she continued. 

The two of them get off together as they always have, oblivious to the other lift travelers. Of them was Ben dressed as Matt, taking notes on where this lovely woman was going with her friends, having to report to the sales team two floors higher, already cursing at the thought that this wasn’t going to work. ‘Marketing,’ he thought. ‘I guess she did some research before practically throwing herself at me,’ he smirks. 

The elevator pings at Matt’s floor. He shifts in his loafers making an awful squeaking sound that now follows him out. His awkwardness follows him, especially dressed in lighter colors that he, as Ben Solo, would never wear. A light blue and white cotton striped polo, a lighter than khaki colored pair of slacks, and his brown loafers that are now, obviously broken due to his situation in the elevator. Hanging over his shoulder is a backpack so as not to wear his usual satchel, figuring it would be a dead giveaway. No one else in the office carried that. It was his thing. Well Jerry from accounting did, but he left so it was now Ben’s sole look. And damnit he thought it was cool. 

Matt would press on into Armitage’s office without knocking. The man liked to walk around barefoot and Matt caught him in the act. “You go to school, don’t you?” he sneered trying to keep control of his embarrassment, not letting the man answer. “Don’t you know to knock when a door is shut?”

Matt fights hard to keep his mouth shut, simply nodding his head. 

“Great. Knock next time.” Armitage goes to sit down, pulling on one and then the next sock, starting to explain his role in the internship and what he’ll be learning in the next four months. Pulling on his left, then right shoes, and then standing, Armitage continues, explaining that if he does well, they may have a part time position open for him. 

Matt just nods, thinking of his position as it was, this new one, and one he’d really enjoy... well multiple...he clears his throat, “Where do I start?”

A strange look passed between them, but then Armitage lifts back to his feet, “You’ll be starting around the corner,” at the last available desk on the floor. “Ms. Kenobi will mentor you, get you up to speed.” He buzzes her desk. No answer. The man cannot deal with Rey. She always has some way to screw up his authority. “Why don’t we go see if she’s even here.” He marches out of his office to her desk with Matt following closely behind.

The desks are set in four cornered opened cubicles, a half wall separates the mirroring desks, hers however shares the space with filing cabinets that are sorted by day after each sale is entered and transactions are processed at the end of the day. Filing cabinets are both black and span the wall up until the end of her desk. Atop them are printers, fax machines, and binders filled with return policies, and their standard operation procedures for each particular customer. All of which Rey made after a dispute with a new buyer. 

Rey’s desk was in the front right corner and Matt would be at the back-right corner against the wall, but he couldn’t see past her rear end sticking backward out of underneath her desk. ‘Well, that may be why she didn’t answer.’

“Ms. Kenobi,” Armitage huffs at the sight of her. 

Her hand reaches around on the floor next to her, “Where...?” She shimmies out from under the desk, puffing a frustrated breath out from her lips. Her body arch’s back, sitting on her haunches, looking up at the desk, down towards the floor and then pats her chest, finding the screwdriver and going back under. “You know it’s harassment if you keep staring Arty...” finally noticing him standing there. 

‘You’re one to talk,’ Matt thinks. 

“Who’s the kid?” She asks. 

‘Wait what? Kid? I’m not a kid!’ He huffed, like a child. 

“Your replacement.” He said snidely. 

Rey just laughed. “Oh, Hugs. You’d lose half your sales and your job if you ever fired me.” 

A humph of a laughter came from him as he had set Matt up in his section of the cubicle. 

“When Ms. Kenobi is ready, she’ll train you,” he pauses, “What are you doing anyways?” he asks.

“Some idiot turned off my computer for the night and it backlogged the updates pretty much killing it. ‘Can’t wait for IT to fix it because some higher up can’t seem to put it together that IT keeps everything running. You’ve got thousands of employees up and down the coast and for some stupid reason no one can figure out that we might need more than two people that can fix this shit.”  
“Rey!” Armitage protests. 

Matt just slouches back watching as if he’s taking notes. ‘They bicker like children... siblings?’

“Don’t get on my case.” The computer turns on. A couple strokes later and she’s on the phone again waiting on orders. “Hey darlin’, did you hear that one last Friday?” She sets up purchase order after order of thousand-dollar products lists, varying on with her personal conversation on the side. “Nah, I haven’t had a chance to retaliate yet.” Rey smiles wide in response to the customer’s banter. “I’m starting to think you and I have a thing,” she snorts. “Oh, stop. Well if you come this weekend maybe you could be my plus one.” 

They stop to talk about cameras and mounts.

“Well that’s the S series. They’re more expensive but the warranty is the best on the market and so far, look like they’ll be top of the line for the next year too. No one has really caught up yet...please, I’d be the first to tell you.” Now she’s setting up a six-figure purchase order. “Yeah, had a run in with an Uber driver, I actually broke down and fucking bought some to put on the building. Yeah.” Rey talks a while longer, pulling a pen and a sticky note writing something down in the corner, returning to her conversation. “Alright I have you for $372,570.22. How do you want to pay for that?” she laughs again.   
Matt can’t help but gawk at her screen. ‘How the hell? Clearly can’t fire her,’ he thinks hiding behind his huge silver frames and his mashed up golden hair. 

“Alright I’m taking half payment on this card here, and pre-authing your secondary card for billing to take at the end of the day, ok dear?” She laughs again, “The offer stands. Give me a call if you’re coming. Ok... have a good one.” Rey hangs up with a button at her ear, standing now from her chair, Rey rounds it smiling brilliantly at Matt making him swallow roughly. 

He takes in her sight today. It shouldn’t be as distracting as it is but her cream-colored top is what he assumes to be as skin tight, three quarter sleeve she’s bunches up just over her elbows. The V-neck drops down to her breasts, with a possibly decorated stripe of buttons pull down between them. How he wants to test them out making sure they are just that and not an invitation. Below that is a layered frilly black skirt that falls just about at mid-thigh and some two-inch black pumps. On his eyes journey from her toes back up her body, he fights the urge to pull her onto his lap right there. 

Matt spread his legs wide in his chair hoping the tightness of his pants would push down the urge to grow at her sight. He’s terrified that another part of him would reach out and shake her hand instead. He stands to introduce himself, watching as he ascended to his full height. ‘That’s right baby,’ he thought as her eyes followed his. 

“Hi. I’m Rey,” she says sweetly offering her hand and a smile. 

“Matt,” he chokes on his own chosen name, bringing her hand up to his lips as if he were Ben Solo and not some ‘college student’. Her eyes widen not knowing what else to do but be concerned, watching on in a true blush that ran over her the bridge of her nose and throughout her body. A smirk played on his lips as if to say ‘gotcha’ from Friday’s little stunt.

Armitage rolls a cough or two trying to get their attention telling them this isn’t some work social, “If you’re going to do that... it’s off hours.”

Rey’s blush spreads that much more, “Right... right.”

“I expect you’ll stay at your desk today. Make sure Matt is acclimated.” 

“I sell better when I move. You know that. If I’m training him, he’s moving too,” she smiles. “Or you could go get me a chocolate from Holdo’s jar.” Rey’s grin improves that much more. “I’ll know if it’s not from her desk too. Choice is yours, let me roam and you can look good, or find me a lovely piece of chocolate from Holdo’s desk.” 

The man wasn’t a fool. “Fine, just don’t do it all day,” he huffed. “Welcome to sales, Matt.”

After this odd introduction, Rey settles in to teach Matt the ropes. 

“These are all the products and product numbers,” she says, pulling a binder out with pictures she took of each and took apart to be sure she could find the serial numbers or know specific details about the items. She watches as this sinks in. “It’ll get easier, once you get used to this we’ll go to the warehouse where you’ll get to take duds apart. Give you my edge.”

Matt swallows.

A ring at her headset and it’s another order for the Resistance.

“Hang in dear, I’m training someone. I need to put you on speaker so he can hear too.” She laughs, “I’ll call you back.” Rey turns off her head set she drops it at the desk asking Matt to dial the number she repeats and hit the speaker. 

His mind races not knowing what to do. It’s been so long since he’s sold anything, let alone spoken to an employee about anything but their performances statistically. There he sits waiting nervously until he realizes Rey is taking control at his phone. 

“Hi dear, I’m here with Matt, my new buddy in sales,” she gets cut off.

‘Buddy?’ Matt thinks about how he kissed her hand, and her response, ‘Clearly not a buddy... not... no...’

“Buddy?” A man’s voice chuckles, “You don’t call a man buddy. Unless he’s your nephew or something.”

‘Thank you!’ validation he agrees, Matt points to the phone, wondering who this is.

“Um, sorry, what’s your name? I don’t think you’d want me to call you dear.”

“Oh,” she says softly, “Matt, this is Kanan. I just talked to Sabine. They’re all from ‘Resistance’ different chapters. It makes shipping easier if they call in and request from different branches,” she says fixing to sit next to him, closer to his phone on his desk.

Matt can’t help but to check her out as she does, dutifully pressing her skirt over her rear, sitting with her knees touching, her long legs in reach of him, clearly taking this man down a level. Matt would be reduced in a begging puppy in just a few hours. Hypnotized by her he’s missed the entire introduction part of the call. 

“Alright let’s get this underway. There’s a lot for him to learn.”

“I don’t really have a lot of time, they’re calling in for a meeting in like five minutes,” Kanan huffed.

“Oh, stop complaining, I’ll have you done in a minute.” They laugh at each other, “Back up darlin’,” she tells Matt who reluctantly does after a second. He watches as she closes the binders and kneels on them by his desk being just high enough to reach.

“Oh, why don’t you use my chair?” He gets up like he’s on fire offering it to her, though the view makes him die a little when she gets up.

A smile and a purr of a thank you later and she’s sitting in his space putting in the order under his name. 

‘That’s going to mess up stats,’ he thought.

They go through their whole banter, up until what she did this weekend, “Goodness, go talk to Sabine.” 

“That bad?” he laughed. 

“Let’s just say I kind of sort of hit on the boss man, karma bitch-slapped me hard.” 

A few more questions from Kanan, elicits a groan even Matt is enjoying. 

“No, I didn’t know. I thought you had a meeting to go to.” 

“This is way better.” 

‘Yes, it is...’

“Ugh. Are you done with your order?” Rey adds six more A Line mounts, and a Model X. 

Matt watches on until he sees something move in his peripheral vision. Turning his vision to her desk he notices how bare it is all except for this plant in a vase. Imagining nothing should be in the bottom he thinks he’s just seeing things when a flash of red taunts him over like a Torero. So, like the bull he charged the space in two long strides. ‘There’s something in there.’ He thought to himself. The closer he got to it the less it moved, hiding in the shadows of the roots of her ivy. 

“What are you doing?” her voice less playful and stern now, though she posed a question. 

Matt just points. “Something moved.”

“You’re seeing things.” 

“No really...”

“It’s a plant. There’s no breeze,” she says dryly.

‘Well that’s true,’ “I thought I saw something red.” He admits. “What’s in there?”

“Nothing” She gets up from her chair. 

Matt stands taking in her shape, lowers his voice, “Well, clearly it’s something,” he pauses, “Can you just tell me what it is?” 

“No.”

“Why not?” his voice drops that much lower, enjoying the way she’s biting at her lip, ‘tell me I can bite that for you,’ he strains through the thought. 

“Because you’re acting like a nark.”

Affronted, his shoulders rear backward as if her were burned. “No, I’m not.”

“And you’re dressed like one.”

“What?”

“Do you need these?” She pulls at the bridge of his glasses, violating who knows how many personal space codes they have. The lightest shake of his head has her carefully removing them. “There, add a smile, and I’d believe you more.” 

He does, eventually learning about her fish.

Within the hour she’s gone. Calls come in but they’re transferred to her Bluetooth pick up, leaving him to wonder how long she’s been doing this section by herself. 

Rey’s left her pumps and pulled on some converse, going off to work it out. Her mind she said works better if she moves, “The music in here is stagnant... Marketing’s got the right idea.” 

For a moment he thinks of following her but doesn’t, he goes to lunch in his office instead. 

——

Catching up with Poe has her spiking, not spilling... spiking... the beans about her morning. 

“No, I can’t count that guy as a point. He messes me up too. Null point,” she says. 

“Alright, do you think he’d play?” asks Poe. 

“Not sure. Not totally a smiler.”

“What does that mean?” he barks a laugh towards his computer lining up his text.

“You’re always smiley. That’s why it works so well. If you had a stick up your ass like Hugs,”

“Or Finn,” he sneaks in there. 

“I didn’t need that. Got enough this weekend.” They both giggle. “Ok what are we playing for today?” 

“Well... now that BiBi is home he’s never going back with you.”

“Why not? He loves me.” She says with confidence. 

“You painted his toenails.”

“Claws, and he liked it. Do you see a scratch on me?” she teased. “Oh! If I win, I do your toenails. And every time you get up, you’ll have to show them off.”

“I’m not walking barefoot.” 

“You have your sandals, I know it...wait. Are you already giving up?”

“No!”

“You know I keep some extra bright orange polish in my desk. Should I get it now?”

“Fine! Fine. We’ll play but you have to sit down here, or Matt can take your count upstairs. But I’d rather call them out.” Poe says finally. 

——  
Moving Matt didn’t work. He was quite happy in his fantasy world with this lovely girl who entertained him so much. His memory flicked back to the elevator Friday afternoon and all of her behaviors this morning. ‘She can’t be that much of a tease,’ he thought. ‘She hasn’t come on to me as Matt.’ He thinks about how she sat on the desk, and how she took his glasses from him, but it wasn’t anything compared to the elevator. 

A melody played out from her speakers while she wrote down some notes of some kind. Interested, since it didn’t look like work, he asked about it. 

“I’m on lunch, trying to get this track down. Already late on it.” She hums at the music trying to collect lyrics to spread among the waves. 

He breathes at the sound of her lining up a remix of his own tune. ‘She’s the one.’ “That sounds familiar,” he says tossing out a lure that surely electrified her. 

“You like electronica?”

“Most of it. Trance mostly.” He shrugged to himself. 

“Really?” She has the decency to put down her music. “Who do you listen to on the regular?”

Of course, he picks himself as RADAR, which gets her excited, not knowing that it’s actually him, “And I could listen all day to the channels in di.fm.” He’s definitely interested and holding a steady conversation with her about rifts and the build of melodies. Ben is entranced by her knowledge, so wrapped up in each other that she doesn’t even notice Poe’s been hanging on her sub-divider calling her name. 

A ball of paper is lobbed at her, slapping lightly into her hair, finally getting her to turn around. “Hi Poe!”

“Hi!” He makes a face of surprise she didn’t see him until now. 

“You’ll never believe this.”

“Try me,” he sits on the filing cabinets, looking over the other man. 

“This is Matt, and he likes RADAR and Sasha and Digweed...” she explains like she’s found the missing link, “How about Tiesto? Or Armin...”

“They’re as good as any, but I’m more about the upcoming artists, like Just_Deserts.” He throws out there as one of his followers he follows, with good reason to believe she’s that artist. 

Rey’s body freezes, asking, “What did you say?” 

He repeats himself. 

“That’s me.”


	3. Chapter 3

The two of them listen to what she’s working on all hour. He watches as she applies the recordings from Friday into it. She has him seeing stars listening to the way she’s reverberated it throughout, “Can I have a copy of this?”

Rey actually laughs, “I’ll send you the link when it’s posted publicly,” she looks up at his expression, a little hurt he’d have to wait, “I shouldn’t have to spell it out. Leaking...”

Backing from her putting his elbow up onto the desk, “I would never! I haven’t said anything about your—" she covers his mouth with her hand. 

“You almost did... that’s how leaking works.” She glares at him. Matt blushes hard at the intrusion of space.

“Point.” She says; however, he doesn’t understand.

At the end of her lunch she closes her Mac Book, replacing it and her headphones back in her bag. 

“Well that was enlightening...” Matt returned to his space at his desk, and she pauses looking over at Poe, “So I guess we’re going to have to try again tomorrow, eh?”

Swinging his legs still suspended on the cabinet, “What?” Poe’s spent the last few minutes trying to figure out if that mop was a wig or poorly kept hair. He clearly knew a thing or two about hair. His was by far the best on the marketing floor, maybe even the best in the building. The man knew hair, and Matt’s was wrong. 

“Do you think you could work up here?” Matt’s eyes lift at the intrusion. “It would make it easier.” Rey’s voice was softer now than the bubbly thing she was before. Still lighthearted but different regarding her friend.

“Make what easier?” Matt can’t seem to stop himself from asking. 

“I don’t think this fancies you since you didn’t want to sit in marketing.” Rey teases. 

Obviously offended, “what does that mean?”

“You don’t seem to like to play,” she says with a little edge in her voice. “And since you don’t like to play,” she leans back into her desk alongside her chair, “I don’t think it concerns you.” Her lips curl up in a knowing grin. 

“Since that’s out of the way...” Poe interrupts. “Where would I sit?” Enjoying Matt’s discomfort. 

“You can take my spot,” she offers. “I have to train him anyways. Won’t need my space for a while...” Matt notices her speak about him as if he’s not in the room. “We’ll be getting pretty close,” she winks at Matt. The blush paints him thickly over his cheeks. “Point won.” she says. 

“Stop doing that with your body,” Poe complains.

Rey yawns a whine when she stretches, “Doing what?” She knows, telling another win again in points.

“You can’t gain points from the same person.” Poe hops to his feet towards her making Matt squirm. 

It’s awful to watch. He thinks he’s just going to call out and move on as Ben Solo, forgetting about this, all of this. Their highs and lows have been extreme. If anything, this has been a very awkward date... that he’s having without her... ‘I mean it’s not like she knows what I’m really doing. Or who I really am.’ Poe continues towards her into her space, so much so that Rey leans back pressing a button on her phone. 

Finn picks up, “Yeah?”

“Your boyfriend is hitting on me. Should I give him the left or the right?” Rey bites her lip to stifle her laughter. Finn is known to put his speaker on instead of pulling up the receiver. It’s a known fact that they’re looking to get married next summer but not necessarily everyone is all too kind on the matter. His pause, has her panting out a laugh, practically crying, laying backwards on her desk.   
Matt who wants to throw Poe to replace him with himself, to stare down at that beguiling woman, can’t move. ‘Is every day like this? Wait! Did she say boyfriend?’

“How many?” she barely can ask.

“The whole fucking floor. Don’t call me again.” He hangs up. 

“I win.” She smiles wickedly. “I’ll be right back. I have to go apologize.”

“He’s packaging now. They’re not going to be able to talk. The line is full...” Poe watches as her figure leaves anyways. “Mind of her own...” he mumbles to himself. 

Rey’s been gone for at least twenty minutes keeping a weird silence with this guy she’s training...obviously fucking with. Walking over to her desk drawer, he pulls the orange nail polish, “You didn’t see anything,” Poe comments over his shoulder. 

Matt says nothing, answering his phone, it’s her, asking for Poe. 

“It’s her isn’t it? I’m not here,” he says quickly.

“What do you have to trade?” Somehow, he stammers out. What did he want? Her. Yes. Information? All of it?

“What do you want?” He strains.

“In.” Matt says plainly. At his nod, “He just le-" 

Rey manages back through the door shaking another color in her hand. “Don’t lie to me Matt,” she purrs as if she knows more than what he’d like to share. Rey got back to her desk, her grin spreading widely, “don’t like orange? That’s ok... I have pink glitter” holding up her bottle and his sandals. 

Matt stares at her. The phone rings and she takes it telling Poe to get comfortable. 

“Sabine! Oh, you won’t believe my day so far.” 

A pause, long enough to pull a perfume bottle out to equalize the stink his bare feet bring to their desk space. 

“Oh, I won, but I clearly owe Finn...” another pause, “I’m going to put you on speaker.” 

She nudges into Poe with her hip. Sabine was hilarious and at the end of the day Rey fancied a girl chat anyways. 

“Can you hear me?” Sabine rings through the space. 

Matt can’t seem to see past this waste of company time, irritated she’d been doing this.

Rey confirms they can, prompting her to ask a thousand questions needing answers from Friday to now. “Well, currently I’m working on borrowed time. I’m just waiting for him to figure out who I am and be fired for it. The whole damned thing sounds like one big sexual harassment case.” She proceeded to paint Poe’s toenails. 

“Did he like it?” Sabine squeaked. Surely trying to hide her voice in her speaker.

Matt’s face lit up terribly. 

“Stop moving.” Rey holds Poe’s toe like a hotdog. “I don’t know? It’s not like he pushed me away. He kind of looked scared.” 

“It tickles- stop” he whines. 

Sabine asks about what’s going on and so Rey explains. 

“Better win next time,” Sabine chimes in. 

“Anyways, if that hour wasn’t complete shit for recording, what with the in and out on the lift... I don’t think I’d have done it.” Rey finishes painting Poe’s toes, getting back up from the floor. “Did you need a last-minute order?” 

“Yeah,” She said. 

Rey picks up her headset looking at the time. “Your cut off out here was four... I can send through Texas if you want or expedite it tomorrow from Jersey.” 

Rey punches in at Matt’s computer. 

“This is so you can see,” she says to him lowly. He has the grace to move slightly, watching as multiple screens come up checking stock for each as she goes. A purchase order comes up and she’s filling it in, promising to expedite form their location, “It’ll go out tomorrow with the morning truck. Thanks, dear. Call me later. Ok bye.” 

Matt watches as her brain chews over her next intention. She punches in four digits pulling up his receiver. “Hey,” she’s curt. “Is Mr. Solo still here?” 

Matt jumps up from his chair like he caught fire. 

The two of them look at him like he’s crazy. His hair shifts slightly, but not enough for Rey to notice... Poe however is glaring. He was starting to get his gears going when Rey reached out and stopped him. “Where do you think you’re going?” She hangs up with Hux.

“Uh its. It’s five. I’m um, only here until five.” She looks at him oddly, another lie, “I’m - I have class at six down town.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” she smiles, “Except...”

Matt visibly gulps, “Except?”

“You almost lied to me...”

“Which means?”

“You don’t get to pick.” She pulls at his hand asking him to sit, perching herself at his desk. Out she pulls the orange fingernail polish, telling him to place one hand on each of her thighs. 

‘How am I going to hide this?’ Each nail she painted painfully slowly, almost as though she was looking for a rise from him. Every finger was touched or turned in some way egging on a conversation she was sure he was dying to have.

“So, how long have you been here?” He tried asking to think of anything but where his hands were placed. The very fact that she didn’t use a paper towel or napkin to separate them was unnerving. He was sure his persona would be fired, and he’d certainly be unable to approach her again. ‘How did we go from lunch to this? Painting my nails? And I’m allowing it...placement...’ he thought, ‘If it were anywhere else like the desk I’d protest more.’ He’s sure of it.

“What are you doing?” Armitage shows up in behind him. 

“Mani-Pedis ... Want one?” asks Poe.

The very thought of her letting Armitage sit with her like this made him crazy. “I thought you wanted to see Mr. Solo.” Matt couldn’t stop himself from saying. 

“He hasn’t been in all day. Missed a handful of meetings...put me on the spot. It was great.” Armitage humphs. 

“Don’t sound so displeased... We all know you can hold your ground.” She boosts his ego, “Except for around us,” Rey wiggles her finger between Poe and her. “Are you playing tomorrow?” 

“Do I ever?” He stiffens his shoulders to back out of this conversation and leave.

“I do! I want to play,” Matt presses his fingers down into her flesh for confirmation. 

Poe and Rey both turn their attention back to Matt who is now bright red as he registers that he said that out loud. Straightening like Hux. “I mean, I’d like to... What do you play for?”

“Whatever you want,” she pauses, “Within reason. It’s not like I can actually get the moon.” Rey pushes at Poe’s shoulder. 

“Right,” he explains all the things they’ve won from each other, including his cat, “Which is now home thanks to that little tizzy Solo put Rey through.”

“No! It was the other way around,” he says way too forcibly. “Rey has been explaining this all day...” he tries shrugging while she presses her hand into his moving his thumb to handle the last of the painted color. Pressing his mouth into his sleeve to quiet a groan, Poe laughs. 

“I couldn’t have thought using feminine products would be that much of a turn on Matt...” he persisted, maybe you’ll let her dye your hair properly too.”

Rey looks, actually looks, frowning at it. “It does need some help doesn’t it?” All at once she’s offering her leave-in conditioner. “This should do the trick.

Armitage pulls at his sleeve, “I’m leaving, girls. Clean up after yourselves...see you tomorrow,” he says almost too kindly. 

“You should be all set Matt. Let those air dry... and don’t remove it. Has to come off naturally.” She pulls her bag over her head crossing it over her chest on the other shoulder, looking over her bare one, “Maybe you won’t lie to me next time.”

Her expression kills him. Then her words. “But I didn’t.” ‘That you know of. Oh my God What if she knows?’ Matt takes off for the stairs running up to his office. His lungs burning terribly by the thirtieth floor. Matt’s persona is destroyed, pulling the wig off and dealing with the possible looks with his get up. Pulling off the polo leaving his undershirt shoving the shirt in his bag, wishing for a miracle that he gets to his office before her. If she’s even headed there.

———

“I’m telling you, it’s a wig.” Poe’s face is in her face as if he’s seen a ghost. “It’s matted and disgusting and I freaking saw it move Rey! It moved!” He shakes his head, showing his hands at his hairline, “like if my hair changed positions from here to here.” 

“It does look off putting... like he let something sleep in it...” she admits. 

“Right?!”

“I wonder if he has a problem,” she offers. “What if it is one and it’s because he has like a medical thing?”

“He looks pretty healthy to me,” his voice whines a bit.

“Pffft! What does that mean?”

“You didn’t check him out at all today?” He rolls his eyes at her.

“Aside from his height, no? He’s just a kid. College remember?”

“That guy is not in college.” Poe leans in, “Side battle?” 

“Game!” 

———-

“Just give me a second, I’m just going to go in there and set it straight.”

“Armie said he wasn’t there though.” Poe pouts. 

“Why don’t you go and save me a seat then?” 

Poe snorts, “And let you walk by yourself?”

“Not everyone’s a predator, Poe.” She pushes into Mr. Solo’s floor. He has the damned floor. Laid out like the conference floors below him he has huge rooms within the floor with multiple sized tables, one room had to be the longest table she’s ever seen, except for Kaydel’s bar. ‘Great now I’m comparing table sizes’ she smirks. Finally finding his office that spans the wall, she has the gall to step inside figuring, if he was there, she was just going to get this over with. Reaching for the door handle, she prayed it was locked.

Nope. 

Opening at her press, she has the nerve fly from her just as fast as it found them. Swallowing just as hard as she made everyone else today, she stepped through the threshold into his space. The office was spacious, digitalized and clean. Modern if that was even a thing anymore. Modernism took a shift from clean lines in black and white with pops of color back in the nineties to practically anything sterile looking could be considered as such. The most inviting but oddly placed item was on the wall by a sitting area that for her could be the same space in size as her living room at home. Complete with its own furnishings, this item she supposed worked was a gas burning fireplace. 

“I’d kill for one of these,” she whispered to herself, or at least she thought she was alone, admiring it. 

“Can I help you?” A slightly odd familiarity in his voice rang through her. 

‘That voice.’ She tried to place it, the sound of the distance between them... happy for it because at another distance, she would drop the man in earnest, maybe even share the dosage of pepper spray that was designated for Snap. For a moment she had to remember where she was. It wasn’t a living room. It was an office. Ben solo’s office to be exact, and given their previous meeting, and knowing what she came to do, she had been timid now. Tightly turning towards the voice, she clears her throat, ready to apologize.

“You,” he pretends he didn’t spend all day with her.

“Hi,” her mouth runs dry taking in the sight of him at his desk. Rey can feel her heart racing. It didn’t do this in the elevator, why was it happening now? ‘Well for starters, he is missing an article of clothing and she can see how taught his chest abdomen are through it. His arms, ‘fuck don’t get me started,’ her eyes rake over them wondering what it’s like to be protected with that kind of power. They’re folded over themselves on his desk that he won’t stand from. And because they can’t travel far, her eyes flick back up to his, stopping for a second at his lips, but then locked onto those eyes. They look at her like she’s both the huntress and the prey. Shaking her head slightly, she clears her throat to speak, but not the intended apology is uttered, “what happened to your shirt?”

“Coffee,” the only excuse he can think of. He watches her perk up slightly, pulling her finger up, as she remembers her Dreft Stick. Still however stuck in place she lifts it from the pocket in her purse. He shakes his head at her kindness, unable to use his hands to take anything from her or she would find out. “PA got it.” 

Capturing both of her lips and nodding surely after, Rey stuffs it back in her purse careful not to touch her laptop. 

“Ok,” she says softly, feeling his gaze on her almost burning holes through where they roam. ‘What is this guy’s deal? Is he always this intense?’ “Um,” she starts again, “I just wanted to apologize for Friday. I’m not usually such a wench,” she started. “It’s not important why I was in there... but I shouldn’t have been so forward...” she swallows hard trying to keep his gaze, “Or touched you,” breaking from him all together, “Or licked you,” she groans at the ceiling. 

Ben stammers a little thankful he’s seated, at the sound of her openly telling him what she did, as if he wasn’t part of that story. He huffs at his thoughts, which sounds a lot more like it’s at her, which makes her uneasy. ‘Point won,’ he thinks, a wicked smile running over his lips, his hair dancing at his downward turned face as his head bobs with his chuckle. 

“How long have you been here, Ms.?” he takes the chance to wave her over.

“Rey, and I’m quite fine where I am.”

“Alright. Ms. Rey.” He tests, still balling his fingers in his hands. “Do you know who I am?” His voice stays low.

“I have a feeling I do now. Either way...” she lifts her chin, unabashed by her words, “It doesn’t matter who you are. It was wrong and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” curtly nodding she pulls out her headphones encircling them around her neck, “Now if you’ll excuse me...I’d like to go home.” She turns her heel, reddened with embarrassment, making off for the door. 

“Ms. Rey?” 

She doesn’t turn back.

“Thank... you.” Ben says quietly. 

He slides back in his chair seeing the wig he threw under his desk. He was so ready to tell her every lie he made up about that mess of a thing if she rounded the desk and found it. He chuckled a little remembering how worried he was when she brazenly opened his door without even knocking. ‘Well...I did just do that to Armitage eight hours ago.’ Armitage... he starts thinking, ‘what were they calling him?’ He runs through at least four nicknames they would use to speak to him. All of which he seemed to allow? Maybe he wasn’t as much of a prick as Ben originally labeled him as. His mind wandered to all of the strange encounters he and Rey had shared. For a moment all he could focus on was that pretty little body of hers, so close to Matt’s, his... he rakes his fingers through his hair. ‘What’s happening to me?’ He stresses about this but not necessarily his fingers, until he pulls them to the back of his skull. ‘And what am I going to do about this? At least Poe’s were on his feet!’ He thinks a minute more. ‘She doesn’t like the lying. Oh no.’ 

When was the last time he was worried about a girl? Four months of an internship... what was he going to do? He can’t just leave his job to hang out with her for four months. Then he thinks of all the lying he would have to do, the persona if he ever did get close with her after work. His mind drifted. Then back to the hair, “I have to fix that,” he’s back to thinking about the bottle she gave him. Ben knew what he was doing was the epitome of wrong, she even said she didn’t like to be lied to... but... “I have to know more...”


	4. Chapter 4

Practically running out the door, Rey hits the elevator’s button. Her body surging with adrenaline, shaking, it was easily visible. 

“Did I just disrespect him now too? Good job Kenobi, in just four days, you too can enjoy a starving artist’s salary,” she says low to herself, her music the only thing she can focus on. Calming her raging nerves. Not quite enough though. Footsteps. ‘Don’t look. Don’t look, don’t look...’

“Rey?” A man’s voice came softly to her. 

Her eyes popping open dealing briefly with her ‘fight first then run’ mentality. 

“Hey? You ok?”

“Matt?” she looked around him, “How did you get up here?”

Again, with the stories, explaining he got lost up there looking for Mr. Solo, but had just seen him to thank him again, “Seems like a nice enough guy.”

Rey blew raspberries. “I wouldn’t know.” She goes on to explain her situation on the ride down to meet up with the guys and head to Connix’s. “The man looked at me like a wild animal. Like I just spit in his den for being there. I was just trying to correct myself. Actions. My actions.” She repeats. “Hey... I thought you had class.”

Matt stood up straighter, “Hooky.” Ben tried to be normal with her, “You looked upset... um...”

“Thanks.” This is the first time she’d slowed down from that spunky little thing she’s been all day. 

‘A front? I wonder.’ He looks down at himself. ‘Like mine...’ he cent believe he’s stooped so low. ‘Disguised to talk to a girl.’ He rolls his eyes at himself. ‘She seems less threatened by me like this though’   
“Did you want to get something to eat?” He asks. 

It was out, sort of. ‘Would have been better as Ben...myself... why am I having such a hard time with this?’ 

The elevator pinged again at the bottom floor, revealing her friends. “Um, we have plans, but I’ll see you tomorrow?” Rey’s eyes flicked up to notice his, actually notice him, he’d been so sincere in the way he’d regarded her. There the two stood battling secret questions between each other, “Actually,” she let slip, “Do you want to join us?”

Was he just invited out with her? No Matt was... What was it that she trusted that much more in Matt than in Ben? He wondered. The doors slide closed for a moment, quieting their space. “Sure.” Matt barely let slip. He didn’t want to be in the presence of the guys. Only her. But this was the invitation. Take it or leave her... “Ok. Um. I drove.”

“We usually walk. It’s just up the way.” Rey adjusts the strap of her bag. 

He can’t help but ask if he can carry it for her. A shy smile and a tug at her strap later he has it. On the walk up he learns a few things, Poe and Rey were adopted as infants into the same home and Finn grew up on the other side of town. He listened to childhood stories of how the three would look out for each other, and how much of a tomboy Rey had been well after puberty. He listened as the guys would take turns one upping each other’s stories, like how one time they had been playing in an abandoned worksite and made forts with the remaining material. 

“It really, actually was the best fort I’d ever seen. We worked so hard on it.” she smiles, “we came back the next day, with plans to put a slide on the back and found it was being squatted in.” The guys grumbled about it. 

“Ugh I know! That thing took all day!” Added Finn. 

“Oh! What about that time we dyed Rey’s hair dark—you asked for it like all week. She never colored her hair before. So, I helped her” Matt had the decency to look at Poe but hated the twang of jealousy that he’d shared something so intimate. “And you forgot we did, screaming and threatening me over the phone. But you looked so pretty...” 

Rey snorts, “I looked like a witch.”

The guys start laughing pushing into Connix’s, “Speaking of, are you still dying it this weekend?”

“I’ll have to before the end of the week, so it’s fresh and doesn’t streak my fingers at the touch.” 

“What’s this weekend?” Matt finds a seat next to Rey at the bar, unsure of where to set her things. “Um?” 

Rey smiles taking it.

The guys light up, “She’s an opener at the PNC Arts Center.” The guys start bobbing their heads like Doug and Steve from ‘The Night at The Roxbury’.   
Rey grins at their silliness. 

“Is that true?” He can’t help the surprise in his voice. Half expecting that fire starter from the office to take hold again, but she’s bashful about it. Another small smile, he can’t help but want to lean in on.   
Kaydel pops by, “What’ll it be?” She notices the fresh meat on the other side of the bar. Opting to have a little fun, “What do we have here? Rey? Are you finally dating?” 

Poe elbows Rey, ‘Oooing’ at her.

‘Retaliation for today,’ she thought. Rey groaned. “...Thanks, Kaydel...This is Matt. He’s an intern on my floor. Matt, Kaydel, the owner of this establishment.” 

He offers his hand to her for a shake, feeling embarrassed for him at the sight of his fingernails. 

“What’s this?” She first sees the color, then Rey’s embarrassment. “Rey are you going soft?”

Matt owns up, “I had it coming,” he shrugs, “I lied.” ‘A white lie isn’t a bad one, right? I mean it gets her a way, out right? At my expense, but a way out.’

Kaydel’s eyes grew wide, “You lied and you’re still with her? Oh Rey...Isn’t he a little too young for you?” 

She flushed again. Thankful of course for the dim lighting, ‘I had this coming,’ she chanted, beginning to question herself, her eyes roaming over Matt almost accepting this. ‘Do I have feelings for this guy?’ Remembering her day and the way they seemed to just connect, despite his mop, maybe? If it is true, I need to know more...’ the thought of the word made her tingle as her eyes met his again. ‘Hmm well isn’t that something,’ she thought she could have been looking into a mirrored male image of her thoughts.’ Rey, the first time in forever, felt a longing. 

“No,” she said out loud. First to Kaydel’s question and moments later to the feel of a hand that wasn’t recognized. It wasn’t Poe or Finn’s calming presence, and not Matt’s, they were on the counter, shelling a pistachio. The man’s hand squeezed at her shoulder, his body leaned in, she could feel herself go cold with fear. Her face changed without a second to prepare, arching her eyebrows, she’d been thrown into panic. 

“Hmm, what do we have...” Rey threw her head back trying to bash him in the face. He moved and her head rolled back onto his shoulder, “Is that how it’s going to be?” 

Rey feels Matt’s hand steady her, breaking the man’s contact, shoving him clear off.

“Don’t touch her!” It came out far louder than expected, though his furry didn’t. He intentionally threw the man as hard as he could to the floor, as if he could have put him through it. His body heaved in rage as he stood protectively nearby. 

‘Oh...’ looking down at the floor, ‘Snap!’Rey enjoyed the play on words but liked the fact that someone stood up for her. It broke a barrier. Her chest heaved for all the right reasons being enough to give this guy a chance. She barely hears him make threats pertaining to endangering her wellbeing. Finn and Poe make remarks too, but all she can focus on is Matt. 

But then…she wants to run. ‘Run’ she reminded herself, ‘Run!’ 

But she couldn’t.

Running wasn’t safe. ‘He could follow me.’

Matt returned to her with the same intensity, almost accusatory that she started this. “Who is he?” he asked.

“Snap- the driver...” she could feel his eyes on her. Like he was trying to read her mind, she pulled her phone, pushing it hard into his midsection for his gruffness with her. 

Matt humphs a ‘what did I do? I! Didn’t have to dooooo anything,’ he over accentuates to himself. He looks at the video listening to the police report after the fact, keeping the camera covered. It’s like she knew the protocol, like she’d been in more trouble than this. It burned him. 

Rey shoved her bag across the bar towards Kaydel, asking for passage. “Can I go up?” 

Her friend nods. “Gwen will be home soon if you want to talk to her.” 

Rey’s small smile suggests she’d really rather not, “Thanks.” She pulls at her bag urging herself not to look back. 

In the time she passes through the door, Matt catches her look. Her eyes spell fear and sadness, but not thankfulness. 

Leaving didn’t fix anything. Rey doesn’t go up the stairs. She passes through the door and slid down the wall in Kaydel’s stairwell. There she huddled up into a ball. The silence on the other side of the wall suggested Kay settled the bar to see if she really went. Her friend just knew. It wasn’t worth stomping on the ground, she’d have known regardless. 

In the time Rey went to go hide, because for lack of a better description, that’s what she was doing, he had removed Snap. Kay had already offered him a position as a security guard, rolling her eyes at it because what bar has that? Finn and Poe are joking about what it is he could possibly be lifting to throw such a thick guy, giving their best impressions. But all he can think about is how to go about talking to her again. 

Ben had always been a loner. Being in other’s company was okay but not sought out. The man was all about his numbers and unless applied to sports or gambling, the group that would flock around him had nothing more to say. It was off putting and so his nerves and literal nature had grown past a normal level. He really was unaware of how to speak to people, and what’s worse, this disguise gave him the ability to change, and he wasn’t. The girl obviously needed something else, but he wasn’t in a place to grow...or was he?

“Um Kaydel?” Matt stammered out, “Can I go see her? I have her phone.”

“I’ll take it.” She offers her hand, but he pulls it back to his chest protectively.

“I’d rather...give it to her myself.” 

Kaydel gives him an ‘I bet you would,’ look. 

It was unnerving. At her nod to use the door at the end, his feet practically flew him over there. But as quick as he went, he was soft with the door. Seeing her balled up was not what he expected at all.   
She didn’t even move when the door opened, “Um. I have your phone. Wanted to give it back to you. And um, are you ok?”

Her silence is deafening, and she hasn’t made a move to take the phone. She’s perfected her breakdown. Usually people just leave her until she’s ready to come out, but Matt has no experience with it, so he sits next to her. 

“I’m sure this looks just fantastic to you. Running in here from that...all of that...” she waves her hand. “Hiding.” She snorts at herself. 

“He had no right to touch you,” he said cryptically. At that Rey looks at him. The same eyes piercing through her as the man upstairs. The gears start turning in her mind, speculation, mostly. Her small tight smile opens just enough to thank him, but he’s ready with his offer, “Do you want a ride home?”

In their closeness, “I think I’m going to walk— “

“That’s dumb,” he can’t stop it from falling out of his mouth. 

“Excuse me?”

“That guy could be out there. You’re just going to walk home? Does that make sense to you? Just throw yourself back out there, at night... do you even hear yourself?” He leans into her space. “Let me take you home.” This isn’t question, or a suggestion, he can’t stop himself. Matt or Ben, it would have been expected of her to just accept. 

Not a word more is uttered from either, the space between them, his eyes feasting on hers. A hair of a moment passes, finding his lips pressed softly against hers. Surely this is where he belongs, he tells himself, pressuring her slightly, even though now really isn’t the right time, and yet, she doesn’t decline. A strained breath between them sucks him down deeper into her space. He’s realized her changed position, leaning the heel of her palm at the base of his neck. 

Her fingers stretching through its depth, reaching, just dying to tug at his hair. Retracting upon herself, feeling the coarseness of the confirmation. 

‘It was one. But what was he hiding? Was it worth a dramatic mention, or did he gain merits taking her on like this? Was he ill? Or was he just a habitual liar?’

“Rey?” Poe shouted, slamming the door against stairwell wall. “What’re... Oho!” Breaking their kiss abruptly. The surprise of it had them hissing like released carbonation. Her hand slid from his neck down his chest, keeping their distance still connected in some way.

“Just going home.” She sounded defeated. 

“That didn’t look like going home,” Poe teased, pouring more unwanted statements making Rey blush profusely. “You know if we were playing right now, I’d win.”

“That’s nice. We aren’t. You already lost. Well pick it up tomorrow.” Rey seems to be back in control of herself, giving a hearty goodnight to everyone. 

Kaydel offers a bag of chicken fingers and fries, “I can put your drink in a water bottle too...” 

Rey laughs, “What would I do without you?”

——-  
Even though she protested, Matt followed her home making sure no stone was unturned and Snap of all people, wasn’t following them. He wanted to be sure she was safe, but the more he did as Matt the less he was. Reluctant to let him up, he persisted. 

“What if he’s waiting in the hall?”

“Fine.” She whispers the first time. 

They reach her door and he tries the same about her rooms. “We should really just check,” he swallows, expecting to get slapped. 

She waves him through still standing in the doorway of her apartment. Her apartment is only a studio and while it looks big and like someone could hide in it. At a glance there is literally nowhere for a game of hide and seek except for in the thin divider she has hanging floor to ceiling he can clearly see through to her bedroom, utility closet and the bathroom. Otherwise it’s small enough not to have much room for a guest or two at the same time. 

“Satisfied?” She asks. 

“Yes.” He looms over her, “Thank you.”

Rey’s brow furrows, she’s heard that before, in the same baritone delivery too, taking her off track.

“Thank you for before,” she swallows pinned in his gaze. She tries speaking again, “I’ll see you...I…I’ll see you tomorrow?” She means it as a statement, but her brain dropped the ball. 

“Yeah. Yeah...” he seemed to be fighting with something. “See you tomorrow.”


	5. Chapter 5

‘Well this is just fantastic. What the hell am I going to do now?’ Ben thought to himself, still retreating from her apartment to work as Matt. Darkness fell just enough for the street lamps to come on. ‘Statistic,’ he thought. ‘The probability of what was to come...’ could he sway this back to Ben? Could Matt look less appealing? How was he anyway? The style of the man was just off for Ben all together, ‘maybe she’s just got a thing for blondes?’ Ben shook his head in distaste. ‘Me... blonde...’ 

His panic starts to rise in his chest thinking of the stairwell, remembering she tried to pull at his hair. ‘Did she touch it? Does she know?’ 

Finally reaching his car he pulls the key and gets in. He continues his unwinding all the way home. ‘If she does know, will she turn me down? Out me? I stuck up for her... why would she?’

——

Rey pulled her phone from her bag, then removed it completely walking through the living room adorned with a beige IKEA couch fluffed with enough pillows to line the floor with. The floors were laminate that looked like wood and even provided a surface texture that seemed like the real thing... which was a real problem to clean, but a clear step up from her neighbors that had still possessed carpeting throughout. 

She had a small coffee table that gave it a feel of a living room. Just beyond it was a tightened projection screen that, while a movie wasn’t being played on it, seemed shearer than if it were. This she used as a wall to separate her room from everything else. Track lighting was installed before she moved in, the landlord’s doing since he realized there just wasn’t enough plugs to go around and didn’t need a power surge for too many plugs being used at the same time. Fires were the next thought. 

Just beyond the separation, was the head of her bed. Something about being turned into the the center of the building gave her peace. Like where she slept would be safe based on positioning. Her dresser lined up with the bathroom door and desk was set in the corner.while the desk was present, the majority of her music was recorded on her phone or on the computer itself sitting on her bed, which was exactly where she wanted to be. 

Rey put music on, blasting it through her headphones to find a chance at a happy medium. She found that a light, airy beat could sooth her. Help her brain relax, her mind open to find the inspiration given in each moment of the day. It was almost like meditation. 

Finally able to function Rey pulls up her work noticing an update from the artist she follows.

|23`/ by RADAR 

The artist usually used words in the releases but this one, as unusual as it was, seemed to mean something. Rey clicked on it revealing a warm progressive tune, calming in nature, comforting like a lullaby, the vocals sung a heavenly sigh pushing her to ease her mind. 

Rey put it on repeat looking for her notes kept in her phone looking for some ways of communication back to them, him or her, whoever it was as a thank you. Somehow they knew something and gave her a chance to come down from this emotionally challenging day. 

In all of her efforts she didn’t seem to have the ability to push for a proper retaliation mix, spying that Matt left his number in one of them with a note.

-Matt-  
I’m around if you ever need someone to talk to. About anything. 

At this she smiled, bringing up his number in a message. 

-Rey-  
I hope this finds you well. I found your note. :) Thank you for today. Really.

——-

Ben, who literally just put up the track was impressed with himself, playing it over and over again, loudly through his apartment. A few hard knocks later from both his door, and what sounded like a broom stick hitting the ceiling under him, he turned the music lower, bringing it with him on his phone to shower. 

Proud of himself he wondered how long it would take Rey to figure out it was for her. He wanted it to be obvious but not too much so that would scare her. A binary number code like ‘1337’ speech could do it. Ben knew when she figured it out maybe she would process it differently but for now? For now it was his way to reach out to her. A hug of sorts, with room for more. How he wanted more. 

Tracks were never easy to push out. They were usually created in weeks time but this one just flowed. It embodied all she was. Her slow recognitions, her seductive charm, her sensuality throughout the day, tentativeness, their kiss. Damnit if it wasn’t driving him completely mad that he couldn’t continue this. Maybe she’d let him. Wouldn’t that be something?

A buzz that didn’t belong in his song, hummed through one of the vocals’ coo he imagined Rey would sing maybe tomorrow. The thought of it was an ecstasy he wasn’t ready for. Similar to the thought of his name... his real name being pulled from her lips. It would be a lie if he didn’t think of that during the creation of them. The mix that is. 

The buzz goes off a second time having him wonder who could possibly want something right now. Still standing in the shower, he feels no reason to jump out, completely content using the entire floor’s hot water. 

A solid twenty minutes later and a third buzz, he towels off, taking the phone with him. Droplets sprinkle over the screen as he looks at it on shock. Reading the first message, he smiles at himself. That really was smart. But stupid. He could dig a deeper hole now and not truly be in her presence. He wouldn’t have to dress like Matt, but certainly sounded like him, and now was in her phone as such. 

-Rey-  
Pretty slick move giving me your number like this. 

And then, she asked to FaceTime him. ‘Oh my God,’ he whined, ‘where’s the wig?’ Ben searched his bad for the dreadful thing reapplying it, checking and rechecking it before returning her text.

-Matt-  
Sure. When ever you’re ready. 

His phone rings a second latter making him jump. There she is. Her hair tied up in a towel laying on things that are presumably pillows, looking radiant as ever.

“Hi.” He manages to say. 

Equally softly, with his track playing in the background, she returns his hello. His breathing shifts as she does bringing him low onto her bed. “I wanted to thank you again. Not even Poe has gone through such lengths to make sure I was safe, and he’s my brother.” Her laugh is warm but sad. 

They begin talking about what set all of that off, “I always found that humor could end terror. If I could find the light in something, the darkness would push out of the way, turn to nothing, and I wouldn’t be afraid anymore.” Something about the way she said it, maybe to his music, helped him see that so much clearer. “It’s why we play our games,” she added. “We’ve been playing for so long it seem well probably never grow old of it.” She chuckles. 

Damnit it if that doesn’t get a rise out of him. In his experiences, girls just wanted the floor. The time to speak and be heard, which was fine because it’s a really all he wanted. He loved knowing she had his song on repeat, snuggled into her bed, still wanting something to do with him... or Matt. Mostly Matt. 

That is until she prodded him, needing to know more about who this man she allowed in her space was. “I might doze but I’m listening. Tell me about you...please?” She shifts her shoulders down into her pillow, already yawning, trying to give an encouraging smile. 

He tells her about him. Starting at his favorite color being red, simple things like his favorite songs, how he got into trance to begin with, “I really just got tired of lyrics telling me how I should feel—directing my mood. With trance it can still sort of do it but not on a definitive level like everything else. Sometimes I just need to be put back in that calm place so I can restart my day.”

The corners of her mouth perk up, “that’s how I feel too.”

It was just so easy to talk to her. He felt alive, more so than he’s been the last few years of his life, telling her this wins another smile. Reluctantly he shared his age, “33.” 

A hum of what he thinks is an approval from her, “explains your strength.” It has him feeling weightless. “26.” She retaliates with her number, “I didn’t have the luxury to go to college and study something. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or bad anymore.” She looks at him questioningly like he might have the answer.

“It really is only for advancement in skills. The medical field needs it, but for us, it’s really for a pay grade step ladder.” He explains the numbers behind the example he gave and she looks at him in awe that he can just throw down mathematical equations left and right,going back to them like he’s referring to them in a text book.”

She has the decency to let him finish before adding, “you know you’re in the wrong field...we should really make arrangements for you to go down to accounting, at least there you can use your gift.”

“No!” He said louder than he wanted to, “No, I want to be with you. I’d give it all up just for that chance.” It wasn’t a lie at all. None of it was, just that she still thought she was talking to Matt, not learning about Ben. 

Rey tries out an, “okay,” leaving it like that. 

Matt forwarded his conversation with her, “Can I be with you?”

“Are we still talking about work?” 

“No.” He notices her blush. “I want more,” he said forgetting all about Matt. 

She presses into her tight smile again, flattered. “I’ve only just met you. Give me time?” Radar’s music still playing in the background, “Let me learn you?” Came out far more seductive than she meant, but exhaustion had taken hold, and she had started to fall asleep.

He nods, ‘at least it wasn’t a no.’ He wasn’t sure if he could handle rejection from her. As she slips down into the covers his grin improves, opening up about something much more private. Continuing with how he prefers the night over daytime. “Dusk is usually when I feel the most creative. I do write my own music, and” he gulps, “I’d like to share it with you. I think you already know it.”

——-

The next day, Rey wakes with her phone still in hand, music still on, and a swell of excitement she can apply to her day. It’s the first time in a long time she’d ever been excited to see anyone besides her brothers. She sends out a text to Poe who usually eats his Wheaties at home, to see if they want a bacon, egg and cheese from the bagel shop by her, claiming she didn’t really eat last night, but had already mentioned it to Matt, who took her up on it. It’s the same shop that she found her special lollipops and since strawberry cheesecake was a rarity, she liked to stop in and check. Today there was two, enough for writing today and better still her performance on Saturday. ‘Perfect!’ She thought. Poe got back to her in time for her to order and got coffees to boot. 

Walking never seemed to hinder her. Her bag slung across her diagonally helped balance everything. In fact she made it to work, caught up with the boys heading to their floor, Ben, who wasn’t yet dressed like Matt forgot he wasn’t, offering to help. Rey, who is opposed to getting help from outsiders, gave the man a dirty, ‘who are you?’ look. “Oh, hi, Mr. Solo.” She moved away from him. “Sorry, I’m fine.” She offered nothing else, waiting for her level to ping, closer to Poe and Finn, who tease her about it. 

He watches as she continues her loyalty to Matt. ‘Interesting,’ he thought, seriously annoyed by this and wondering how deep of a hole he actually dug. 

“Knock on that for me?” She says motioning to Armitage’s door. Poe too caught up in his conversation to help, has Rey situating herself to knock with her foot, hollering “food” through the door. She waits, “Fine, don’t get mad if it’s cold.”

Making it to her desk, she notices Matt’s computer is on but he’s not there. Looking around the floor she doesn’t see him either. ‘Maybe he’s in the bathroom.’ Returning to his space she sees him messing with his hair, tugging just enough to show the darker color underneath. ‘Well that’s confirmation. Of one thing at least.’ Pleased with herself not taking up his offer over the phone. If he was hiding his hair, what else was he hiding? Was that conversation even the truth? It seemed real, but this was exactly why she didn’t let people in.

“Hi,” he said quietly to her as if to relive their private moments, right here in the office, at the start of the day. 

‘Seriously this guy,’ she smiled, unsure if a hello was the right thing to say. “Breakfast?” Nope that wasn’t it either, her chest heaved though she tried to hide it. ‘I’m at work,’ she chanted to herself. There wasn’t a time she felt more like a meal under another’s gaze that was welcomed. 

Slow to rise from his chair, he pins her with a look as if she wasn’t already stuck in one spot, “Thank you.” She stairs down at his curving lips as if she were suffocating and just a touch would give life to her. 

Wheels turned, stopping abruptly hearing the guys come around the corner. “Alright Finn’s in this round,” he can’t contain his joy, “like old times.” 

The pair split just in time, “oh yeah?” She looks up at Matt over her shoulder, who is still locked on her, “What are we playing for?”

Matt’s eyes light up, he knows exactly what he wants. 

“Im playing for Kylo,” says Finn. 

“No! Last time I caught you egging on brain damage. You can’t have Kylo, he’s mine. Pick something else.” Rey crossed her arms over her chest. Her blouse bunched a little at the neckline as her arms tugged at the fabric at their fold.

“Its just a fish.” Poe teases. 

“Not to me. Don’t talk down to Kylo,” she lifts her vase and brings it over to the shared desk with Matt.

“Oooookay, I’m still going for Kylo. Better not lose.” Teased Finn. “This is for yesterday.”

Rey groaned. “Yes I deserve that. Promise you won’t try to kill him?”

“I promise, peanut.” 

“Ok! Well I want Rey to dye Matt’s hair back to its natural color.” He looks Matt over. “Blonde is not your thing dude.”

“Yes, it wasn’t intentional.”

“How does one, unintentionally dye his hair?”

“I thought it was shampoo.” It’s the first thing from his mouth. 

“Aw,” Rey lets slip. ‘Oh no.’

“PREMISE OF THE GAME!!” Poe shouts in excitement. 

“Cool your jets. We haven’t all figured out what we’re playing for.” She thinks about it, showing her favorite pop, “I only know one place that sells these. The job is to buy a handful of them for me.” 

“I want a date,” falls out of Matt’s breath before he can try to correct himself. “I want a date with Rey.” 

‘Oh my God’ She was going to die blushing from what this man could say. 

Poe laughs “ok buddy,” grinning wickedly. “Premise of the game changes to only the four of us. No five, Arty is just too much fun to mess with. And it’ll go on a ‘how many blushes did we get’ system... but for now, breakfast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter: 
> 
> Gravity by P.O.S. In Search of Sunrise Volume 4, Latin America (Tiesto)


	6. Chapter 6

In flood the complaints of the game from Finn who isn’t sure really how to mess with Rey since they haven’t been on the same floor for a whole year, and Matt who is still trying to figure out the game. Rey’s face is still blank as to how her language needs to change, the strategy is real, and now being down to humiliating the group, not jacking with the floors has the game going from playable to expert level frustrating. Poe is seriously enjoying screwing with them. Their game is set, and now that it’s 9:01am there’s no going back. 

It’s a slow start, Matt knowing better than to touch Rey, refrains, but at least does enjoy the closeness. Armitage makes his way around the corner, seeing Poe. He has the right setup to kick off his sandals, showing off his glittery painted toenails. “Arty, are you playing today?” He reaches for Rey’s berry scented lotion putting far too much in his hand.

“Do I ever?” He uses the same response as yesterday, looking over the halves cubicle wall at Poe, who looks as though he’s pleasuring his toe. Armitage grunts at the sight of him. “What are you playing for today?” Trying to look away from that train wreck of a man. 

“Rey’s favorite sucker, Finn wants her f-ern, the plant, Matt wants a date with Rey, and I want her to dye the wig.” He let’s slip. 

Matt shifts uncontrollably in his chair. “Wig you say?” Asks Armitage. “oh that is rich. Why would a college student need a —“ Armitage has it figured out mid sentence. 

‘Oh no.’ 

“I’m in.” He looks down at Poe. “Will you stop doing that?” He reddens. 

“Point!” Says Poe. 

Poe explains the point system. “If you really can’t think of anymore you can use Jenga prompts for half points, or decide to quit, your points go to the lowest on the board.” Pointing to inside the middle drawer of the filing cabinet. 

“Who usually wins?”

“It’s usually close between Rey and I,” He looks at her still stumped expression, “may be me today.” He laughs. 

“Alright. I’ll play for the utter embarrassment of Ben Solo.” He tries his audience. 

“That’s pretty specific.” Replies Poe.

“What’d he do to you?” Rey inquired.

“Oh let’s just say, I like to watch the guy squirm.” Matt blushes, “point!” Arty points out. 

Rey sucks in her lip still trying to come up with a way to destroy this game when she gets it. Mostly applying them to Finn until he gives up her fish. Then maybe she’ll think about who to focus on after that. Right now, Finn, and now he’s aware. 

“Are we sure this is the game?” Finn asks cautiously. 

“We passed nine, so yes. Why? Afraid you might lose?” Rey leans into the back of her chair, kneeling in the seat. 

The group settles on the game ready to play for all they’re worth. Rey who is confident in her choices of silent play, excuses herself to use other accounts, sending fake purchase orders to Finn’s gun. Dialing Jose, “Hey.” She’s curt, “where are you?” A giggle slips her lips, “take me off speaker hun,” her grin improves when he does, “we’re playing a game. Double check your tickets as they come through. Read the name and address before it’s picked. Anything that looks weird, because there will be a few, send back to his gun if he tries sending it out to yours or Tony’s. Okay?” Her mischievous giggle comes through loud and clear, “make him call up and say it, or,” she taps the desk, “stop I’m gonna pee! I will make you buy me new ones if you don’t stop.” Her giggle slows. “I’m going to send them in the next few minutes here. Ok thanks.” Hanging up, she stands looking over at Poe, “I’m starting to think my simple request wasn’t enough for this.”

“Well your locked in now, sweetheart,” replies Poe. 

“Yeah, yeah...” she waves off the idea, “just listen for Finn’s calls.”

———

Midday comes and Matt goes first to lunch. He’s had quite enough of being Armitage’s focus point. He’s been pretty aggressive, knowing full well what to say as he couldn’t now defend himself, without people knowing. As he does he smiles softly at Rey looking to leave the floor for his office. 

Poe who’s had enough of this now, opts to start the ball rolling with the side game. “Rey,” he waves her over explaining the situation. “I don’t think Matt is who he says he is. Like at all.” Armitage makes his way back out dropping the bomb on the two. Poe laughs incredibly, “I was right?!”

Rey’s brow furrows, “why on earth would he want anything to do with sales?” 

“Hmm I have no idea,” he looks at her suggestively. 

“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t know him—“ 

“—until you basically stuck your tongue down his throat trying to get your sucker back.” Poe’s laughter hits a higher decibel, “how exactly did he get it again?” 

Rey is dying of embarrassment, the whole floor is able to hear her idiotic moments in that elevator. Armitage humming with laughter all his own. “He’s a calculated guy,” he offers, “he probably wanted to make sure you weren’t crazy before he pursued you.” He looks over his shoulder waiting to be caught, “line it up so Poe wins and see for yourself.” 

Ben heard the conversation blistering with the frustration of them handing off this information. He had a feeling Armitage knew, maybe Poe too but hearing them conspire against him with her cut him deep. It’s only been a day, he knew, but she seemed so real, and last night, he wanted to hold onto that forever. Matt pulls his phone from his pocket trying her number, wanting to know if she wanted anything while he was out. Anything to keep her mind on his. 

Reaching her phone, she excuses herself. 

-Rey-  
I just need a quiet place. 

-Matt-  
Meet me downstairs? We can sit in my car. Or you can. Just you. 

-Rey-  
I’m not sure a car is going to do it. But thanks. 

“If you need me I’ll be in the warehouse.” It was code for ‘don’t look for me.’ Pulling her bag with her, down that the speculations made sense. ‘Should I even play anymore? What if they’re wrong? 

——-

Ben’s retreated back to his office certain his charade was over. Staring out the window, cursing about even getting involved. ‘She’ll be in the office but never reachable now’ he thought. Notifications come up in his email of new music from Just_Deserts, one called ‘Mirages’

“It’s a big my-st-e-ry,  
Where I go and why.  
Do you think I,  
De-se-rve this mess of lies?

Do I-I-I?”

It’s haunting and beautifully mastered, kicking him terribly because he knows it’s for him. He did this. Another one pings and it has no lyrics, equally beautiful, an extension of the last, and an interlude into the third, titled ‘Time’.

“I thought I’d stay,  
In a place I never knew,  
I thought I’d stay,  
Since it’d be just me and you, 

I’ll take my time now  
Explore what it means to me,  
I thought I’d stay,  
Learn about what we could be... “

Surely his lunch was over and he’d have to face the music, ‘figuratively’ but he had heard hers, which was soothing and frightening at the same time. His cycle of doubt started eating at him again. 

Several more notifications for more released tracks he can’t stop and listen to. In she walks from the other side of the room, her music pounding from the tiny speaker her phone has to give, out of her back pocket. Unwavering. It’s as if she’s reclaimed an untold power. Her calm is eerie considering the implications of the brewing lie. She’s on the phone speaking so someone not work related, “send them to me. I’ll see what I can do.” Her phone buzzes lightly, hidden in the tune. 

Pulling her bag from her shoulder, she decides on one of her suckers over lunch. Matt swallows. ‘That’s the thing she shoved in my mouth last week.’ “Alright, let’s get to it. Pull up the log. AltP, AltL, here you have the PO’s, I need you to double check what’s in the warehouses before you send them to the guns. If they’re ready and all show in the same available quantity in the warehouse they’re being shipped from, then push the ticket to the gun.” She shows him once, expecting the owner of the company to know what he’s doing. 

It takes him thirty minutes to get this somewhat down. Reminded to watch the names and addresses to make sure no one screwed up since the the packing slips are based on them. Coming across one she clearly created, ‘Uis C. Ockblocked’ spitting a laugh, then wondering if the message is for him, he looks at her amused. Her game has been found between the two of them, but Matt is still weighing how much of this is meant to slap him in the face too.

Rey offers a lick of her pop, “send it to Finn’s gun, he has to call them out if it’s incorrect up here.” Rey turns off her headset, forcing calls through the phone. “Keep going, there’s a treasure trove.”

She wasn’t wrong either. She was exceedingly giving to the cause making him wonder just how raunchy she could be. Pushing every one out that were one or two item orders that either included batteries and replacement wiring. He’s accepted her sucker as his own easily now into his mouth, this calm he’s unsure of. Rey’s phone rings. 

“Speaker Poe.” He does. 

“Who put through, ‘Uis C. Ockblocked?’” Rey tries pulling the sucker from Matt’s lips, but he has his teeth clenched on the pop. Instead she grabs for a binder to hide her giggle behind. Poe barks a laugh calling Armitage to the scene. “Point!” Rey squeals. 

He hangs up. Another call, Poe answers, “‘43 E. Cantfinda Bumptohump Lane’ is not a real place, fix it.” Finn calls for each telling Rey to stop releasing crap, having to repeat, “Ivago T. Diarrhea,” and right after since they were all released at the same time, “Ima B. Allsack,” he stops, “are there any more? The longer we do this the later you leave.”

“Wrong department. This is sales. I’m not operations.” She teases. 

Finn groans, admitting he was done, “I’m deleting the rest of them. Don’t call me with rush orders—you’ve wasted too much of my time.” Forfeiting gave Matt, who had been doing poorly all day three points. It wasn’t a lot but it was enough. Rey’s hand was heavy, she knew she could throw the game by dumping her wins just now in one basket, but what did she really want? A date with a liar? To out one? Or to give into Armitage and give her last pop away? He’d probably be inappropriate and ask her to hold it too. She shuddered through the thought. 

Poe would look at the clock and then expectantly at her, who never caved, ever. Rey didn’t like being beaten. But Matt...Ben... whoever he was, for as much as she thought she knew maybe needed he different sort of attention on this. She wanted the truth, and outing him here could destroy him. ‘Can’t have that.’

“All or nothing?” She offered.

Poe’s eyebrows shot up, “that’s a truth call.”

“‘Truth Calls’ were written, one from each participant, and blank pieces were added which took the number of points down by two each time. If the player had nothing before the end they lost. Gaining a note meant the player had to read it out loud and guess who it was from.” Rey explains. With no one interested in folding they all write their truths, adding paper to their cause. 

The group as a whole fished out blanks until Matt comes across chicken scratch reading, “I’d do it again.” 

Arty looks at him confused. “Is that all it said? That’s all you have to? I fold.” He grabs the papers heading off into his office. 

Everyone just stares. Poe insinuating that he probably made some mention about Ben again. 

Matt’s voice rings out, “Exactly, Exactly.” Prompting another bet, “I’ll fold if you retrieve it.” Poe rose like he was hurled from his chair. He looks at Rey once they’re alone, “so you would?” A sincere tinder feathering lightly through a cautious question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for initial theme:  
> Sweet Nothing (feat. Florence Welsh) by Calvin Harris
> 
> Fighting Destiny (feat. Kaydence) by Teddy Marquee & KROMATIKS
> 
> Music lyric rewrites: 
> 
> Big Sky (Armie Van Burren’s Inrto Edition) by John O’Callaghan
> 
> Take Me Away by 4 Strings


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Poe go to help Finn in the warehouse, when Poe claims the win from the day, promoting yet another game. 
> 
> Rey “dyes” Matt’s hair and gains some truths.

Rey smiles, “Yeah, Matt,” She over accentuates his name. “Come on, I’ll show you how to pick.” She pulls her phone turning the volume high again. 

Poe makes it out of Arty’s office, “wait where you going?” Skipping in his step to get closer. 

“Picking, or he’s never getting out of here.” Rey pushes the elevator button to descend back down to the warehouse. 

Poe joins them reminiscing about the hilarity of her game play, “how’d you come up with that?”

“Please, you’re the dirtiest, pretty boy I know. Pretty sure I got it from you.” 

“Well then, looks like I won if you used my material,” Poe stated smugly. 

‘Fuck.’ 

“You play dirty.” Rey smacks him. 

“Ow,” he grins, “So-Matt.” Catching himself calling him by his last name. “What color?”

“Black.” Matt manages.

“Green it is.”

“Poe!” They both yell at him. 

“What? I had to try. It’s just too easy to mess with you.” He laughs. “When are you dying anyways?”

Rey explains she figured she’d be doing it on Thursday, but if she has to do black too, it should be sooner, “I don’t exactly want purple fingers.”

Matt’s jaw tensed thinking of how she’d dye his wig. Where they’d be. How he’d feel with her that close to him again. The shadows in his mind dance wildly behind this light spirit he’s sure he’s never going to capture. “How do you know how to pick?” He asks swallowing his thoughts. 

Rey gave a curious look, ‘he really was disconnected wasn’t he?’ “The three of us started in the warehouse.” It walloped him. Ben literally had no idea what climbing the corporate ladder was without a degree. They had to really work and know their field to be successful. Their games were played to fill the boredom of all their knowledge, it kept the lines of their relationships alive, being in separate floors. As the elevator pinged the two of them strode out like they owned the place. “Coming Matt?” 

Heavy on his strides trying to keep up, he hears her snort, “Game?” Pulling a gun, she checks the screen looking for the list. 

Poe’s grin widens.

“Fill the orders, print the slips and hit the line without being seen.” She says. “The one with the most completed, wins.”

“Stakes?” Poe fires off. The man was all about the spoils.

“Dinner.” She smiles, turning down her music. Rey slips out of her blouse revealing her black tank top and more of her black braided rope belt, throwing it back at the elevator. Matt picked it up stuffing it in his back pocket like a colorful handkerchief. 

They’re a spectacle of laser tag to a degree. An image, of course, taken from his childhood. Rey tried to teach him but her competitive nature took over. It was actually fun to watch. Rolling down the volume on the gun itself Rey scooted over to get a cart with a grin on her face, pulling through several small orders waiting for the POs to print by the line. Poe would try to steal the delivery, so she’d retaliate making his gun chirp and run back to the center of the isle. He found himself grinning at this playtime. 

Running down the last of the POs their game had been found by Jose who literally scared a squeal from her. He’d put his hands up trying to steady her freak out without grabbing her and making it worse. 

“I win!” Poe called out. 

“Bullshit! I want a count.”

“You were found,” Poe outstretched he’s arms like ‘how don’t you get how this works?’

They bickered about the rules when she called for Matt, “He’ll tell me— what I want to hear,” since ‘the truth’ was laughable. 

Poe barked a laugh that echoed through the warehouse outing them entirely. The group had giddily waved to the guys on the line explaining their game. Eliciting a bunch of them adding to the conversation not understanding why they didn’t have to stop and pick. 

There was no real way to count what was picked now since it was all packed and ready for shipping. “Draw?” Rey offers her hand. 

“What are we eating?” 

“Outback? I want a ‘bloomin’ onion’!” They all chirp it out, cackling at how she says it.

“Ooookay.”

——

Dinner was amusing. Matt shifted more comfortably around them even though more than half of their group knew he was faking. But Finn didn’t yet. Which made it more awkward but something he had to keep up. He’d watch as they fit into their booth, him pressed up against the wall despite his size, enjoying the look of her leaning up onto her elbows for another piece of that fried ‘fun food’ discussing how they played their game. 

“My gun chimed at the beginning and I thought we were caught for sure,” she wiggles her finger between the two of them, Matt and her, “until I found a hiding space between the Model X’s. Pulled him right down into the space with me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that space was a hideout.” 

“Who says it isn’t?” Finn wiggles his eyebrows at her. 

“Eww!” She rises back into her seat. 

The guys have more of a laugh at her response. 

——-

Afterwards Poe makes off with Finn hand in hand like couples do, making Rey just a bit jealous, not exactly knowing what it felt like to have another person want to look out at the horizons ready to capture the next day with. For that she had her music. Her music would pull her through so many of her life’s challenges, including the one brewing beside her.

Rey made it to the local drugstore with the intention of only getting her bleach and dye. She knew how to handle her hair coloring, doing it for shows since she was nineteen because wigs were hot and sucked. Besides it was more fun to grab her own hair during a hard rift she could feel go through her. A wig stole from the beauty of the ecstasy.

“Did you want to dye mine?” Matt meant it more as an invitation, for more time with him. 

“Hmm,” She has no desire to actually do it to him as his hair is actually that ‘Ben Solo’ black. She pulls him by the arm down to the conditioner isle getting a deep penetrating brand. “Did you shower yesterday?” She doesn’t explain why she needs to know.

His mouth now too dry to answer, he nods.

Pulling a bottle, “we’ll need to condition it. Where would you like to shower? My place or yours?”

“Mine.” He squeezed out of his breathless lungs. 

“Perfect, less for me to clean.” Insinuating she would be there with him. He was dying. He didn’t even try showering with this thing on his head, how was he going to condition it? Careful to pick ‘jet black’ and her applicants, she stopped at the register eyeing the tree of suckers finding a watermelon. ‘Good enough,’ she thought, purchasing the lot.

“You didn’t have to—“

“I lost. It’s my job.”

———

Matt drives her to his place, about thirty minutes away from work, just outside the city. It’s open out there. Houses are separate, they have lawns, fences, decorations, like their own mini castles. Rey can’t help but watch the neighborhoods go from quaint to wealthy the further out they go. For a brief moment she feels comfortable, but only their in the car, in the small space. Once they’ve parked in his lot before a stone facade that was both welcoming and overpowering, she suddenly felt the need to walk home, back into her space. 

“We can go back if you don’t want to be here... with me.” There’s a sadness to his words. 

“It’s just a lot to take in. It’s hard - luxury, seeing how people can live like kings, when you come from nothing.” She clears her throat, pulling at the door handle to just get this over with. 

“You don’t have nothing, Rey. You have everything I could ever want. You’re everything.” A silence stretched over them, his mouth opened and closed several times as if he wanted to add to it but couldn’t find the words. Instead he cleared his throat to the sound of her ruffling the plastic bag, and ready to throw it into reverse instead of living out this desire. 

Rey opens the door. “I lost. A bet’s a bet. Come show me your castle?”

——

The inside of his house certainly is large enough to hold the entire count of the floor she works on, comfortably. Furnished with seating arrangements, house plants, wall decorations she’s sure he’s gotten at Walmart but the fact that the spaces were created to be individual places said something. His wood floors were actual wood, darkly stained, but wood and shiny reflecting light from his track lighting, it seemed to be the only thing they had in common. He would watch her tentatively, as if she was going to run at any moment. 

There was so much here she could find out, that he would let her. He didn’t want to dump it all, avoiding shocking her system since Armitage’s attempt to break the dam. 

“Where do you want to do this?” Came out far breathier than she wanted it to, but he was close, and all they’d done was all but pushing them closer to their thresholds. 

“Upstairs.” He offered his hand to guide her there. They had to go to the back of the house to access them which was decorated with signed gold plated records, matted, with the track name and RADAR on each. She blinked at the great many of them leading somewhere. Down stairs. A basement. 

“What is that?”

“My recording studio.” He swallowed not wanting to sound like a pompous asshole for having such things.

“What do you record—“ noticing all of the frames say RADAR, “are you?” She pulls her hand from his.

Matt swallows, nodding...

“And Radan was a cover up?” She arches her eyebrows with the height of her question.

Another nod. 

“What exactly, are you afraid of sharing? Matt Radan?” They hang in the foyer between the room and the stairs, “what’s so scary that you can’t be you?”

His mind screams in his mind that it’s her. She’s terrifying. This new incalculable feeling. Unable to make a sound, he shakes his head.

“After,” she holds the dye, “take me in there?” 

Again a nod, pulling her upstairs with him. His heart hammering against his rib cage. ‘How are we here? Built on lies? How hasn’t she sunk me yet?’ His feet thump heavily up the stairs. “It’s just up here.” He prompts.

“Shower.” She hands him the conditioner. 

Biting back the need to ask her for her company, he goes. 

‘God damn that man,’ Rey sits at the top of the stairs, trying desperately hard not to stare at him through reflection in the mirror, since he’d been so kind to leave the door open. Removing his polo jostled the wig, having him lean just from view to pat it back down. ‘What is so important that he has to drag this out? Why couldn’t he just be honest?’

Her mind wanders to when she saw Ben in his office, apologizing for herself like a child. How he clenched his fists, she chokes a gasp at the image. Whining a soft moan of exasperation with herself. Was she honestly that blind?

Rey would think of the room downstairs wondering if that was where he came up with his music. If he was trying to connect with her this whole time. How he knew who she was Monday. ‘No random indie underground music lover ever surfaced in her world.’ How could this be happening to her of all people?

As the water starts it’s constant flow she hears a tune. Steady. Low. Was he doing that? ‘Maybe that’s his phone? But it sounded so... human?’ She smirked to herself, chewing over whether or not she should join. Figuring out her new set of lyrics, from earlier. If it was worth pushing out just now. Against better judgement she sits on the top stair, using the enclosed space to over accentuate her melodies. 

“You and I, share something real,  
I can only reach in my dreams,  
Awful that I, have to say, this so delicately,  
Even with ...this ...entity...”

Hearing the water shut off, so does she. 

Matt stiffens seeing her sitting there. She had anywhere else to be and that small space made her comfortable enough to stay. He’s thrown back into the elevator’s memory. He had unknowingly fucked with her space. Her time. Where she was comfortable. And now... now he’s spent all this time being someone else, when all she needed was the opposite. Something solid. Like her brother. ‘Great. Just great.’ 

Rey readies the box asking if he’s decent, with down cast eyes, standing outside the doorframe. When he declines to say anything she pulls her attention up from his toes seeing him bare chested, in just a towel. Her head shifted left for a moment asking him if he had anything he could put on.

Flatly he told her, “no,” pointing at the towels he ruined bleaching ‘his hair’ originally.

‘Ok.’ “We’ll do it over the tub then. Sit.” She pointed down at the floor. Opening his vanity drawers, she finds a couple combs, and Vaseline helping this situation—making it feel more real. Authenticity is important to Rey. Pulling his combs into her back pocket, opening the jar of Vaseline and fingering the contents for a response. ‘Point’ She says to herself.

Messing with the man, she opens the box with one hand, placing the dye on the edge of the tub. With the other hand not coated in the soft spread. Kneeling astride to him, pulling another finger through the amount she had on the one finger, to a more useable glob, made him groan, counting another point. It was going to be that easy tonight wasn’t it? “This goes along your hair line so the die doesn’t bleed into your face.” She drew her covered finger around the circumference of his head, purposefully pressing into him when she could, each little noise he made were flags for points. Finishing, she hovered dangerously close to the perched peak in his towel, using the side of his towel to draw off the extra cream on the sides of his covered thighs. 

Matt’s head dropped with a loud ‘thunk’. He used all his power not to pull her down onto him. He’d been growing underneath her ‘innocence’ ready to strike, bold and true, but he wasn’t some college kid named Matt. Ben’s position of power became a struggle. God help him if he didn’t get to explore impaling her on his cock. Her stance pulled herself closer, taking a comb in her mouth to hold and the other to start combing his wig. Cutting their silence, she asks so close to him he could nearly taste the salt of her skin, “tell me something about yourself, Matt.” She took in her stance to him, closer, still on her knees over him, cradling his head with one hand as the other combed out his mess of a wig into sections. 

He couldn’t speak unless it was about the lewd, awful things he wanted to do to her. Sure he wanted to break everything in his house under a significant pounding of her pussy. He felt himself leak into the towel, aching to be exposed. His mouth went dry. A hard contrast from just before when he salivated at the image of her riding him out. “I um-“

While he stutters through anything to say, she sweeps her body down, grinding onto him. His lips catching her skin, from her breast bone all the way up under her ear. It’s enough stimulation for him to release the need to gyrate up into her. His hands clamping down on her hips, loving the sigh of his name he doesn’t stop her from singing, “Ben.” Less aware that she removed the wig completely. 

Her eyes rolled back into her head as he pulled her down harder each time loosening the fabric of the towel. Lacing her fingers possessively into his hair from the base of his skull. His moans building into a need to bury himself inside her. 

The jeans though, God damn those things, they were so rough on him every time she’d greedily bucked into him. Steadying her he pulled of his towel letting it float down the side of his bare legs. They hadn’t even kissed yet, again since the stairwell, but he was impossibly hard, if he didn’t tug at himself he was sure his veins would burst from neglect. 

“When did you think you were going to tell me?”

“I...” his body convulsed.

“Were you ever?” 

“Y-Yes” he groaned into her skin.

“When?” She rolled her hips over him gaining a hiss that rejected his hand from him.

“Been trying to... just never a good time.” Panted out. 

“Why’d you even do it?” Sitting flush against his pulsating member to gain better access to his face. She needed to watch him tell her. 

“I needed to know,” he blinked back his lust, his control coming back to him as his eyes lightened. She hadn’t gotten off, wasn’t disgusted with him, panting the way he did for her, so he told her...everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this:
> 
> Sugar (feat. Francesco Yates) by Robin Schulz
> 
> This chapter does have some sexual situations but it’s not enough, I don’t think to change it to explicit. Tell me if I’m wrong <3


	8. Chapter 8

Armitage and Poe were right but for them now, it didn’t matter. The only trouble Rey found herself having was whether or not she could remember switching between his two names. 

Ben, who did it to himself, would grit out the her name reminding her who he was. To the imposter’s name, he’d growl like an animal, as if she had a second interest, biting down harder into her flesh, doing his best not to break her skin. He’d remind her over and over who he was. Ben only wanted, no needed, his name to sigh from those lips. 

His OCD had him restarting with her from the beginning every time she’d call for Matt. It was wrong. So wrong. On so many levels. As infuriating as it was he could only hope she was a fast learner.

Rey had imagined he was playing some game with her each time. Fuck if that wasn’t irritating, she was sure it needed to be corrected. ‘How would she fix something like that?’ She’d feel him suckle down her bare chest, in the same path, surprised she didn’t have to redress each time his cover name rang out from her in pleasure. 

Rey found herself wanting to know more but once she had been exposed, bare from all articles of clothing, she was ready to be stroked by his girth. “I’m sorry,” she whined realizing yet again she’d moaned for Matt by his still, threatening to have to start all over even though he’d been painfully hard all hour. The man needed relief, and if he stopped stroking her now she might cry herself. 

Tugging at him while he hovered above her, ready to start again finally broke Rey. “Ben please,” she moaned, “point won...stay,” she whined reaching for herself, rubbing down on her nub trying to evict her impending orgasm, crying it out for him to move. 

A heavy sigh from his tensed jaw huffed out of him somehow breaking his spell. Ben rammed into her at such a pace she shook at her release singing only for him. Panting into the air as he plowed her into the mattress with finality. He’s spend flung waves of satisfaction deep inside her, heaving from his lungs, “No points. No game.”

Rey’s ears rang, hearing only pieces of syllables projected from him, as the slipped unconsciously down into the crumpled destruction of his sheets. 

——-

Ben wakes with inspiration he tries to shake. It beats at him constantly like the neighbor’s dog at all hours of the night, but now, she’s in his arms, in his bed, he can’t seem to pull himself up from. Or can he? It’s because of her. This itch. Clearly not winning this, his mind is on constant assault mode until the piece is recorded, Ben moves to get up. Pulling on whatever he could find, what felt like shorts and a shirt, in the darkness of his bedroom, he makes it out of there just carefully enough not to wake her. The stairs creek on the fourth, sixth and eleventh under his weight, making him pause at each one and check back for stirring upstairs. 

His basement is sectioned off similar to the living room quarters, black leather couches surround a table and line the wall parallel to his desk. It’s something large to take up space not to give it particularly to anyone. An air hockey table and pinball machines at the far end of the room support the childhood he reminisced about when he was desperate trying to grow up. What a weird world it was for Ben. 

His studio had taken up the second half of the space was stained wood similarly colored closely to her hair. Unintentionally, of course, but something about being down there made him feel as though her essence was surrounding him as he walked through it. Large black fabric pulled acoustic panels adorned each wall and hung from the ceiling in low for the optimal sound he needed. He had multiple tools to work with and while digital made the most sense for electronica, he was honestly old school, and preferred working with pieces made specifically for the song in their natural setting. An extra large desk held his soundboard, mixing console and turntables. Front and center was his monitor, and just below that was his keyboard. Lines on the wall next to him were different types of guitars. Wind and string instruments, lined the walls on brackets between a space of two panels in somewhat of a display when they weren’t in use. 

The back wall behind his desk held speakers from floor to ceiling. A space centering that gave way to a large windowpane set up with a standing large diaphragm condenser microphone. Other microphones were hidden away for the time being as he favored that particular one. 

Once in the basement he starts up his gadgets recording the first of the many sounds that were overloading his senses. His compulsive nature has barely kept him in check almost ready to rage quit as the time to process had become too great, it was too much and he knew it, now coupled with Rey, he was sure he may not get the whole track out and that frightened him mostly due to the need of the release. But then he factored in Rey waking well before he’d returned to her.

He starts by gathering the acoustic guitar he’d gotten for his twelfth birthday, encouraging his interest in music. There he sat on the stool in that tiny room, thinking of Rey, his frame leaning down onto the curved shape of the guitar as he just laid down on her. He found himself eagerly pulling out a whining rift, playing to his need, for his want for her, though she was here alone, upstairs, in his bed. It was striking and lovely, all the things she’d been with him, even in his deceit. He hadn’t needed to write the music. He could hear it in his mind. See it flow through the space. Just like her. As he finished the first portion, he pulled a hand through his locks realizing she’d found him, wearing one of his t-shirt’s that could swallow her whole. For a moment he wonders if it would if she sat down. ‘Surely it would,’ The very thought made him smirk.

“Play something for me?” She asked softly watching him remount his guitar on its stand.

“They’re all for you. Every last one,” he pulls her around the desk towards him.

Blush settles on her cheeks but it’s certainly not part of the game, “surely that’s not true.”

“Maybe not the first one. But ever since Just_Deserts came around challenging me with remixes and retaliation pieces... I’ve been only ever mixing for her-you.” He guides her to the his chair to sit on his lap apologizing for why he had left her there. Ben uploads the recording, enjoying these moments with her listening to his creative process. It’s of the first times he’s ever been so intimately engaged in allowing someone else to hear a piece before it was finished. For this he felt special. 

——-

After far too many explanations as to why she couldn’t allow a sleepover, Ben finally took her home, parking and walking her up as he did Monday. “It’s not that I don’t want you to, it’s just... this weekend is big for me.” She tries saying against his lips. “There’s a lot to do, not just getting dolled up into character...” she rolled her eyes at how she sounded against him. It sounds ridiculous explaining it to someone who had already experienced these things. For a moment she wonders if he ever had done the indie shows or raves all together. This one, for her, was going to slingshot her into the public eye, giving way to the possibility of significant changes. 

Ben would nod against her forehead trying not to beg again for entrance, “see you tomorrow?” Enthralled by her sweet return. 

“Who will you be tomorrow?” She has the nerve to ask, reassuring him that who ever he chooses, he still could sit with them, “might have to explain the length of your hair though.” 

He gives an uneven giggle. It’s the most he’s ever felt welcomed in his life. 

———

Being that it’s so late, Rey opts to just go to bed. She could condition in the morning, dye it that night, see Gwen for show preparations and everything would be fine for Saturday. Which gives her all but seconds to cash on her bed and think about what just happened. 

Ben, quirks and all, had been sweet to her. Maybe not so much in bed. That was the most frustrating bout of a playtime she’d ever experienced, but it wasn’t wrong to call him Matt. Right? ‘I mean he did want us to...Why would he be so off to it now?’ Running through the scenario, assuming it was her, she got it... ‘it must have been some kind of weird punishment then.’ 

She’d imagined the way he had all of the patience in the world to start over and over again. The control he had. Even letting it slip, when he finally started a soothing, unrelenting pace, he stopped. Stock still. Men don’t do that. Or at least men she’s known. He’d been so ready to leave her again and again, denying himself satisfaction, she worried about not exactly being someone special to him. Her mind flickered through the events from waking up alone, seeking him out, being uncomfortable searching his place. Rey had basically mapped out the entire space, finding him in the basement. Watching him carefully as he focused on his music, she saw a passion she was sure didn’t belong to her. As if she walked in on someone else. 

Vibrations through her skin started to shake her nerves overthinking all of this. She needed sleep. With that as her last thought, she dozed right into her pillows. 

The next morning, Rey rose to a start. ‘Phone!’ Shoving all of her pillows and peeling the blankets off the bed like a savage, “where the fuck?...” she moans looking under her bed, in each pillow case, all around the floor. Panic strikes when she realizes all of her work is on there. Music already recorded and posted could be downloaded and reprocessed on the computer, but her phone, that had everything she was working on for the show. New lyrics, beat counts.. sounds she had recorded, notes... her schedule... breaking down completely she sat on the floor next to her bed wailing a sob into the thickness of the mattress. 

All she could process was that it was lost. A few days before one of her biggest moments and she fucking lost the phone. Her only source of everything. “I always have it.” She muttered still pressed into the fabric. “Think.” Her head spun away from the loss trying to think of where she had it last. 

‘The warehouse. The game...’ “did I put it down?” She wanted to cry again, “what if it got shipped out somewhere?” She pauses again thinking of their carriers. For all she knows it was expedited somewhere. Rey grabbed whatever for clothes, realizing when she left she had army green capris and a loose fitting beige t-shirt on that she no doubt had some sort of blood stain on the sleeve when she cut herself that one time in junior high. ‘This is just perfect.’ She thought, ‘someone’s going to think I got into a fight.’ A second later, ‘I might just if I can’t find that fucking thing...’

——- 

Ben hasn’t slept all night wondering why Rey hasn’t answered any of his calls or line of hurried texts. He’d let her know he was home, liked her, thanked her for not being irrational about his coverup and then lost his mind in the silence. 

-Ben-  
Why aren’t you answering my messages? 

Did I do something? 

Is it just this way for you? Do you just take what you need and go? 

I thought I was special. 

You told me I was. 

You were to me. 

Are.

Were. I guess were. 

How do you do that to someone? I thought you were more than that. 

Silence was the worst. It would break him down into a mess of words and sharpened attacks, apologies and mixed thoughts between the realms of light and darkness. In his rage he showered trying to cleanse his mind of her, where she was, what they did. At best he made it smell less like them and more like him. 

Going to work would be interesting he thought for a second and then remembered she was in his car. ‘That will have to be aired out.’ The summer mornings were good for that, still cool enough to enjoy the windows down. The clean air filled his lungs helping him calm down, ready to face the day. 

——- 

In the office, Armitage realizes Rey is either not coming, or going to be late which is unlike her. He preferred to think Ben had something to do with it in positively the most negative way. Rey dated, and he’s seen her in after bad dates or breakups going along in her day like nothing happened minding her sailor’s lip in the middle of calls with Sabine...but Rey would never be late. It’s an opportunity, he thinks to himself. 

Poe who is still at her desk spies the man scheming. “Game, Arty?” 

“Game indeed.” He smirks, “‘Ghosted’ premise of the game is to make Ben think none of this,” He waves his hand around the section, “ever happened.”

“How do I win?” He’s unsure of what to make of this. 

“We’re a team in this. I’ll talk to HR and get you a vacation day back.” The man was serious. 

It made Poe wonder, ‘What did Ben do to him?’ And then realize a vacation day was hefty loot. “I’m in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter: 
> 
> Ben’s music:  
> Sahara (Mix Cut) by Armin Van Buuren


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey keep missing each other, driving the other crazy. Rey’s lost her phone and is having constant panic attacks with her upcoming show. And Ben isn’t sure if he wants to open up and get hurt again.

Ben flew in hastily looking for Rey in her space. She wasn’t there. He scanned it over and over looking for anything that could confirm that she was at least in. A bag, a change of shoes, anything.

Nothing. 

All that was there was her usual, company prepared setup. Poe who had been sitting in her space wasn’t there either. Both hands flew up into his hair, holding it thickly between each finger. ‘Where is she? Think,’ he managed to sigh instead of shout. ‘Maybe she’s sick. Maybe she’s still home? Maybe he was too much.’ The images of her from last night suggested otherwise. Clearing his throat and standing motionless in their space he rakes his eyes over the space once more finding that her vase is gone. Checking the drawers, he doesn’t find anything out of the ordinary either. No orange or glittery pink nail polish. No sucker. Nothing to show that she even existed on this floor. 

Shaking now he waves the mouse over the desktop’s mouse pad seeing if she even logged in. Her name wasn’t, but Poe’s was. Just a second later he thought to check theirs, he never signed off of his account, which meant if she was here she probably signed in as her when she got in. She did. She was here. He wasn’t as crazy as he thought. Again another glance at her official space had him wondering where Kylo was. He wasn’t at her desk, which brought up the idea of Finn. First though, he would find Poe. If anyone knew what was going on, it was him. 

Poe hid in Armitage’s office with him as the whole thing went down. He would watch out of the hanging blinds as Ben stalked off toward the elevator, still dressed like Matt. Today Matt wore dark wash jeans and a red polo, which was an odd color for Matt, but maybe not for Ben? It was intimidating to Poe who wasn’t ever that put off by anyone. Armitage called HR right away, holding the mouth piece holding up his part of the deal, “all day-remember, and if Rey does get in, you’re playing ‘keep away.’” At Poe’s nod, Armitage requests a day be added back into Poe’s vacation time. Bickering ensued but he made it sound like he found an error in the system when he had been looking back through his time. Hanging up, “Done.”

Armitage kept Rey’s plant I his office on his filing cabinet he used for researching new leads for potential buyers, wondering why she liked this ugly plant anyway. Poe would move himself back downstairs as Rey made her way to the lobby finally. 

The looks she was getting this morning had her literally want to punch everyone she made eye contact with. She needed a list of things first being her phone, but she would take an earpiece too, and a muffin because she didn’t eat out of sheer panic... and then when it was found, head her way to Ben.

Since the elevator took forever Rey had no issues with chewing out onlookers. She could not deal with their pointed stairs and nasty remarks under their breaths. “Good let’s all have a meeting about how I’m dressed today. You would not believe my nightmares... but I’m living one right now.” She speaks up as the elevator makes it back to the ground floor. Being without her item made the elevator ride feel like someone was physically lifting it by themselves to get the parties to each of their floors with a painfully slow rate. So much so, Rey opts to shove off on Poe’s marketing floor for her extra Bluetooth. 

“Rey,” Poe comes up to the side of her, “are you ok?” 

“No. Poe.” She breaks down explaining what happened and how she lost her phone and needs help to stop shipments searching for her device. “I—all of my work is on that thing. I can’t. What am I going to do? Fucking fill it with an hour of ‘Sorry this is just filler shit before someone else comes up?’”

Poe pulls her into a hug.

“I worked too hard for something stupid to happen. This is my big shot and I’m going to blow it because—“

“You’re not. We’ll find it. Even if we have to stop shipment on every order last night to do it. We’ll find it.” He leads her off into the warehouse to find Finn, “let me just get this sent to print and I’ll meet you in there.” 

Ben flies over to Poe’s desk in Marketing. The men’s eyes meet as Poe gets up to check on printing. Ben looks like he might kill someone if he doesn’t get the answers he’s looking for. Poe, the smart mouth he is starts up, “Hey Matt, nice hair!” He motions through his own locks. “It looks longer...”

“Hair extensions,” he huffs. Poe actually laughs, but Ben has no time, “where’s Rey?”

——-

Rey made it into the warehouse explaining her situation to Jose, Yohan, and Finn. The boys on the line were busy putting away items that had just been shipped in. “Everything that went out last night went out through FedEx and a few through UPS.” Yohan told her. 

Jose said they would do a sweep of the floor letting Finn take Rey to FedEx to try stopping every order before it was separated for shipping. “While you’re there, I’ll head over to the UPS hub and see if I can find it.”

This day couldn’t get worse she thought. “You’re a good friend Finn.” She started to rub her face in frustration, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

FedEx’s lot had already started processing since seven in the morning hearing this has Rey wanting to vomit. The cleric at the desk waves her through the back doorway saying she could check everything under the supervision of the lead packer. Which meant she would get to reexplain her story, ‘great.’

Finn called telling her he found nothing and would be back to help her through the rest of the lot there. It isn’t until  
They both are half way through the pile when she realizes the phone was on silent. It’s then when she slides to her knees and sobs like she did next to the bed. “I’m such an idiot.”

Finn looking at the man who is completely put off for helping, offers him the option for a beer later for his help over at Connix’s. “It’s not just a phone. It’s all of her work.” When the man agrees, he slides a box cutter to both Rey and Finn.

——-

“Huh.” Says Poe, “She was just in here.”

Ben is besides himself not being able to talk to her. Assuming the worst he decides to just go home to throw his fit else where. “This is unbelievable.”

“Hey—what’s the real problem Solo?”

Ben stops abruptly. That was the first time he used Ben’s name. “What?”

“We all know...it’s not exactly a surprise.”

Ben’s jaw tensed, then he threw Poe a look as if to get him to back off.

“Why do you need her so bad?”

Silence.

‘Need her?’ That was surely it. “I need to speak with her.”

“Well she came to work. I don’t think she’s avoiding you. Unless you pissed her off... then good fucking luck.” He laughs. 

Oh that’s a downward spiral. 

‘Was it that? Did I make her mad?’ On that he turned his heel ready to leave.

A breath of a whisper catches his ear, “I’m sorry peanut.”

‘Peanut!’ His eyes widened searching for her. Rey didn’t surface anywhere though. ‘Where was Finn then?’ Ben made his way to the warehouse where Finn had been known to be. As he approached he heard her voice beyond a breaking sigh, “how could I be so stupid?”

He stops as if he was stung. 

“Where else were you?”

“...after that I was home. Fell asleep.”

“Did you ask Matt?”

“What? Why would he have anything to do with it?”

‘And that’s it...’ his brain checked off swiveling himself back around to walk out. The owner of his company could do as he pleased, and right now, it meant leaving for the day. Maybe week. 

“You were there weren’t you? To dye his hair?” Finn teases her.

“Well yeah... but I didn’t use my phone. He showed me the place and then...” her eyes widen. “Finn, I took it out in the bathroom getting ready.” She gasps “I didn’t even think...” Rey thanks Finn running off in search of Ben. 

Checking his office first, with no luck, she left a message on his phone, “Hi Ben, it’s Rey...” she explained the situation and hoping he would check his messages, “I just hope you don’t think I’m ignoring you...ok? ...I’ll see you.” Running back to her desk she runs into Poe. “Have you seen Ben?”

“Ben? Not Matt?” He teases. The way she looks at Poe sends his arms flying up. “Yeah he’s looking for you.” 

For the fourth time today she’s explained she’s lost her phone, “if I have to tell it again I might explode. I need to find him. If I don’t get it back... I...” she wants to cry. 

‘A vacation day isn’t worth this.’ “Come on, let’s go see if he’s still here. 

Not finding him in the lot has her panicking again. “You won’t believe the day I’ve had.” She huffs at her friend. 

“I believe it.” He tries not to let her in on their little game. He pulls his keys, “why don’t you go find him?”

——-

Rey had ridden with him at night not really paying attention to where they were going. No phone meant no maps. No maps meant no directions. So she drove out as far as she could remember, out to where the castles were. It took her well into the afternoon but she found it. Trembling slightly at the comfort she was awaiting, Rey knocked on the door. 

Nothing. 

More raps as she was sure hours past, and nothing. 

Just nothing. 

Maybe he was downstairs. Maybe he just couldn’t hear her. Rey gathered herself walking to the neighbor’s. “I’m sorry to bother you,” wafts into his space as he opens the window listening in. “I’m trying to reach my friend and I’ve lost my phone. Can I please use yours?” 

Moments later his phone rings. 

And rings.

And rings.

He looks at it with such hate, letting it go to voicemail. ‘What would she honestly want with me? She said —-‘ he hears her voice waiver thanking the person, leaving to the car she came in. Guilt crossed Ben as he watched her leave, looking again at the message she had just left with him. Pressing play he hears her, “Hi Ben...I um, I think I left my phone with you?” She squeaks, “I’ve just spent all morning attacking orders at FedEx looking for it with Finn when we realized its probably with you. All my work is on it. My show Saturday night, I need it. I’m not sure what I’m going to do without it. And, and,” she chokes back a sob, “I don’t want you to hate me because I didn’t see you and I think you’re avoiding me now... I sat on your steps for like an hour...probably more, I don’t know ... just if you get this please just, I need your help... probably a hug.” She sniffs again. “I’ll see you..maybe.” 

Ben’s eyes go wide listening to this. “Oh my God...” spending the last hours of the work day well into the night looking for her phone. 

———

The next morning as he gets ready for his shower, Ben finds the phone behind the toilet of all places. “How did it even get back there?” Part of him doesn’t care. All that matters is seeing Rey, but then, then he remembered the texts. 

Unable to unlock the phone he swallows his pride trying to remind himself that her work was more important than his feelings. That was a hard pill to swallow. In Ben’s chain of obsessiveness, he came first. His feelings, his thoughts, him. Putting her first became one of the hardest things for him to accomplish. It was like trying to walk through a concrete wall. His heart raced and panic attacks ensued even though he wasn’t sure what she would do. Her imagined reaction to his texts would fuel his terror into sickness, prolonging the ability to get on with his morning. 

Calming himself, he told his mind he wouldn’t give her the phone so that he could make it through the day. The first step was to see her. 

——-

Rey took Thursday and Friday off. Thursday was to hopefully work with Gwen on coming up with anything for her show. She head up the street from her apartment walking towards Connix’s. There she met up with Gwen, Kaydel’s roommate. They’d been with each other for sometime, honestly, since right after high school. When Rey has met Gwen her height and strong tone made her uneasy. It was just who she was. Who she had to be. Strong. Stern. To the point. Exactly what this world needed. 

Opening the door, early of course, Kaydel teases her as if she was a boozy. “I might just be after yesterday.”

“I’m not serving you with that attitude,” Kaydel teases.

“Give it a rest. Can’t you see she’s been through enough?” Chides Gwen. “Let’s get to work.” She was the one that helped her nail down this gig, and she’d feel guilty if she didn’t try. 

They had spent the whole day, well into Friday morning at the bar going over and over the work she had posted. The good news was she had at least half of what was needed. Gwen has contacted artists that would be there to see if they could mix with Rey for some songs to get her through which was embarrassing as fuck. 

“It’s just in case. All you have to do is tap your earbud twice and I’ll give you a name. A mix will start and you’ll introduce the artist. Let them take over and maybe freestyle lyrics with them.” She taps her pen against her notepad. “Maybe run down what you have and we’ll get some early fireworks to shoot off or something. How’s white rockets?” She pulls Rey in for  
a side hug, “It’s going to be fine.” Switching gears. “Let’s handle your hair.”

———

Ben’s starting to relapse through a panic attack not finding Rey anywhere at work. Finn and Poe weren’t Friday either which had him going crazy. In the time it took him to search their usual floors he had contemplated a fire drill. ‘Extreme...too extreme.’ He tried to remind himself they haven’t done that in years and it was likely his employees would ignore it if they did. It wasn’t worth the time or fine. ‘Her apartment,’ he figured was the way to go. 

Ben’s legs felt like they weighed a ton each running up the flights of stairs to get to her. Already planning out what he’d say about his texts and how he didn’t know, and how it hurt to think she used him. How awful he felt that he responded that way, how sorry he was, he’d ask for her forgiveness and to try starting over. He pushed through the door into the string of apartment doors along the hallway. Finally reaching hers, he bangs loudly on it, “Rey?” 

No answer. 

“Rey?” He almost tells banging louder when a small dark haired woman opens up.

“Who the hell are you?” Asks this tiny woman.

“Who the hell are you?” He parrots, pushing his way inside, “Rey, babe, I found your phone!”

“Phone?” She gasps, “Rey’s not here. I’m apartment sitting.”

He stops rounding her room, turning back to the woman, “Where. Is. She?”

“They left. She’s getting ready for her show.” 

His shoulders sag, “Do you know anything else?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter:
> 
> Get That Wavy Right by Teddy Marquee


	10. Chapter 10

Saturday comes and still nothing from Ben. It’s boiled her for long enough bringing it up with Kaydel while fixing her hair. If she had to fill the space it would be live, she’d play something from her heart like she always had, even if she was steeled with anger. 

The ombré wash really came out lovely. Actually looking quite pleased with it just waving out with gel, Rey goes to cup some in her palm. 

“DON’T” Gwen shrieked. Her crystal blue eyes pierced holes onto Rey’s head with that look, she was sure of it. “I have P-L-A-N-S for that hair!”

“What on Earth?....” Rey mumbled getting Kaydel to explain. 

“It’s a surprise,” Kay leans back on the couch in their bottled bus’ space, watching her girlfriend get to work. “She’s been planning it since you said you wanted a fade,” she looks up at the ceiling in sure excitement. The two of them went to the same school, Kaydel for cosmetology and Gwen to further her hairdressing skills. That was surprising since she always wore hers’ short and blonde. There were a couple times in the last few years she had half of her head shaved and streaked the remaining hair with bright pink accents to support breast cancer awareness but that was about it. 

Kaydel wasn’t about coloring. Once she dyed an inch of her tips blue for school spirit, and she never did it again. Her mother cut Kay’s hair in her sleep. It was a huge surprise she wasn’t missing more since it was a known fact Kay would only wear her hair up while she slept, making it that much harder to get at, one would assume. 

Gwen would have her sit next to Kay facing away from her to get started. She goes over all of the preparations reassuring them that they are actually outside not in the circular building. “Has to be that way, besides it would make no sense to be in there,” she scoffs, “what kind of tech-head wants to sit through a performance?”

“The high kind?” Kay offers. The girls have a laugh.

Finn and Poe make it back to their room enjoying small talk about who they saw and how excited they were for her. Rey, who couldn’t move her head, for fear that Gwen would stab her with her pick, chuckled in place.

Rey’s hair is separated into three sections white on top, pink in the middle and red at the bottom. The color was picked due to Ben’s admission of his favorite color—and Kylo’s tail... it seemed to be important since both of her boys preferred it. ‘Her boys,’ she scoffed. Kylo was her boy he guessed. Ben? Well... Ben was Ben... someone she thought she could have more than a one night stand with but that’s how it goes. Then she goes about making rose like buns, placing silver headed bobby pins into her hair to both decorate what was there and for solid hold. 

Rey suppressed Ben out of her mind, trying to be ready for the next thing, dressing. Gwen was on this one again, handing her a silver sequins spaghetti strapped dress that hung low. It flowed perfectly when she moved but cling to her hips just so when she did. Nude pumps, medium sized silver hoop earrings, what felt like a whole jewelry stores’ bracelet section on her wrist, and a white jean jacket completed her look. The boys, at their whine, were shooed out again so she could dress. 

I Seeing it in the mirror made her mind calm, it was coming together, and then coming apart. She wasn’t here to be pretty, she was here for the music. ‘It’ll be ok’ she whispered a chant over and over again u til her reflection smiled at her, “by some miracle it will be ok.”

———

Ben had been stopped three times, twice by the same cop, building tickets against the man for speeding. The most current one had lectured him for far too long, making him snap, “if you’re really that against me speeding, maybe you could pave the way? Or let all your buddies know my number so that you can catch me down the road.”

For it, he gained points on his license and multiple tickets over a thousand dollars each for mouthing off and speeding and every little thing the officer decided to over access. 

‘Super.’ 

“That’s just, so—-“ the Officer looked back at him to see what he might say, giving the, ‘dig your hole deeper, I dare ya’ look. “So super great, Officer.” 

The man looks over Ben one more time, “Drive safe,” He nods letting him go, “asshole.”

Usually Ben would lose his mind, but Rey... Rey first. Driving off he watches as the sun descends in his rear view mirror. Anxiety setting high in his throat, terrified that he’ll be late. Too late to help. Gripping the wheel he made off down the highway desperate to make it before she set foot on stage. 

———-

“It’s time.”

Butterflies caught in her throat hearing that. She rose with a shaky foot wondering if heels were really the right way to go. 

“Breathe” Gwen reminded her walking her out towards the stage. 

Rey took into account that she’d be able to move if she wanted to. ‘If I could ever get over my terrible fear...of failing this I’d be fine.’ Not being prepared set her mind down a dark path. It was horrendous to think she wouldn’t be okay. It’s not like she’s never done this before. Not even her first rave was met with such fear. She just hopped right up there and took over.

Poe lifted her from her thoughts, “Game?”

Rey smiled at him. How on Earth was he going to play a game with her? 

“You have to get the crowd to respond to your lyrics. Handing one person the mic to sing with you is one point... getting the crowd to sing with you, two points, getting them all to sing over you? Well... then you win.” He shrugs. 

“What do I win?” Sounding more like Poe than herself.

“I’ll show you how to set off the fireworks at the end... and you can be in charge of it instead of whatever schmuck is supposed to press the buttons tonight.” Poe was allotted the ability to have a say in pyrotechnics since he helped Gwen with her last show. Some fool had wired everything to a timer that failed. Everything exploded at once. It was so dangerous, they had multiple fire departments show up from all over the county. 

Rey’s smile widened to that finally reaching the stage which looked small in the distance but now seemed to dwarf her in her mind, almost as though she was a child staring at a skyscraper. “I can do this,” she thought. The stage itself was normal as far as outdoor stages go, complete with outdoor scaffolding for lights, she looked around realizing just how many lights there were. Easily a hundred, had to of been. Behind them hung a sheet fabric she wasn’t exactly sure what it was for. Looking back at her friends, she pulled the fabric wondering what it was for.

“There are lights behind it. We’re going to make the space work properly to light your way, Rey,” Gwen said warmly. In fact, quite out of character for her. Rey makes her way back to Gwen hugging her and each of her friends as the crowd before them starts to settle in. Something about the ‘standing room only’ vine has her finding her way. Music blares from other artists, some she’s heard this year that have made their careers in music just as she had, or was trying to.

As the sun finally set giving way to dusk, the sky is still lit in pinks and golden lining under white sprinkled cloud cover. “Will you all join me up on the stage to begin?” It was something she started doing with whomever came with her to any of her shows in the past. Usually she was accompanied by Poe or Finn or both, as she was always, and this tradition would continue here too. It was important.

———

Ben finally gains access to parking, hauling it back to where he’d heard some run of the mill beats pass through the park. It was normal to sample music while setting up the remainder of the stage. Usually done well before the concert started for most shows to get the crowd ready and accepting of the volume level, as well as to test the overall system. A moment later he heard her echoing through the space, thanking her friends by name for coming and helping her get here. God if he didn’t die inside knowing he didn’t make it there in time. 

Ben’s legs slowed and faltered under him half way through the parking lot barely getting him to the edge of the grass. struck in place, chills creeping over his skin in waves he watches her get into an older track, one of his favorites, ‘Hanging the Stars with You’. An airy and light instrumental to start. He smiles at it taking in her appearance. An angel among the stars she glows behind her system. Unaware he’s moved closer to the stage, walking past her friends as if he’s been following a blind call. 

“Hanging the stars,  
The stars with you,  
Leaves me floating  
in the memories too...”

She’s sung into a hand held microphone. 

“Now I’m still  
hanging on again,  
Where will you  
Meet me Ben?”

His heart lurched in his chest but wasn’t sure if that’s really what she said. Rounding the table setup, she takes her time with this one like she’s trying to find him. He scoffs at his thoughts. ‘She didn’t say Ben...she didn’t...’ he repeats. Rey moves down the stage onto the catwalk singing to the crowd. Lights settled on her shimmering around in the space, making her light up like the stars she sang about. Then, he hears it again. “I’m part of this.” He scrambles to get to her but she turns before he can make eye contact.

‘No!’

Pushing his way through the sea of people feels like it’s taking forever. A hand flops on his shoulder blade clearly looking to reach his shoulder itself, has him seeing red. Wanting to scream at the person from keeping him from Rey, he turns quickly, “what?!”

“Hey man! Take it easy!” Poe yelled over the volume. 

“Poe! Hi!” He pulls Rey’s phone from his pocket to give to him. 

Poe resists the ability to win affection from Rey Pulling his hands back as if he was handing him a goose turd they’ve all been avoiding here in the grass. “I’ve got a better idea.” The two make off to the back of the stage telling him she only has enough music to last her a half hour at most maybe forty minutes. “She’s scared out of her mind.”

Ben pulls out his phone sharing a secret, “Game?” 

——-

Rey’s made it all the way through her second to last song ready to tap on her ear piece to get someone to help her out. Playing her final one, she does, but Gwen didn’t respond. Panic sets in again. ‘Time’ comes up as her last piece, ironic... she’ll be all out of it soon. Taking to the catwalk she’s sung her heart out getting the crowd to with her. The feeling is overwhelming, lifting her up just to drop her down hard. Or so she thinks. Hearing music that isn’t hers mixing with the end of ‘Time’ her brow furrows at first, then thinking maybe another artist was coming to save her from the last twenty minutes of the time slot. Gwen’s voice never came through, she didn’t know who she would have to introduce until she heard it. 

A sigh filtered through her, “You came,” She joyfully spouted, turning on her wayward emotions from this cluster fuck of a week. She was ready to chew him out, thankful she didn’t in front of the masses, karma gifted her with a chance to finish. 

As their eyes locked, the completed track they worked on Wednesday night told her all she needed to know. Pursuing each other they embraced as if they were alone in the park. A wild flurry of hoots, whistles, hollers and applauds washes over them bringing Rey and Ben back into this moment. “Can I introduce you?” She asks shyly, with his music still pumping in the background.

“If that makes you happy, yes.” 

His eyes never leave her, turning gently in his arms, “Ladies and Gentlemen... I’d like to introduce Radar.”

The sea of people grow silent for long enough to make Ben uncomfortable. Just as soon as it does, a roar of acceptance, finally being able to put a face with a name, he gets the applause he deserves. Together they played out the remaining segment.

——-

“You look beautiful,” he murmured close to her ear as they left the stage. 

“Thank you,” she smiled, “the red’s for you.”

A joyful press of air falls from his nose that only he’s aware of given the beats from the next musician. “I found your phone...” he offers it. “Behind the toilet. I cleaned it.” He rushes out. 

Rey opens it and sees the line of texts. He drops his shoulders as if in pain, but watches her delete them as if it never happened. His heart begins to swell with pure joy bringing her in close again. 

Her friends meet up with them around the back of the stage, walking out from the grass to be heard better, all with positive things to say. 

“You win,” says Poe, handing over a fist full of Rey’s suckers to Ben, who hands them right to Rey.

“Wait this was a game?” She doesn’t know if she should slap some one or not, “you played me live?”

“Nooooo, no, no.” Said Poe. “No.” Poe explains, “sort of? Sorry!”

“No game Rey, no one played you,” he draws her in again, “you’re no fool... I was just told to wait... so you could find your way.” 

For one reason or another, Rey actually believed him. He had gained her trust, a spot among them and a her hand to hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for ‘Hanging the Stars with You’ reworked from:
> 
> Sleepwalking (feat. Joni Fatora) by Illenium

**Author's Note:**

> Came to me while listening to some old techno... I’ll post music later. :)
> 
> There are some rewritten lyrics to songs for this fic. If you don’t listen to trance/techno/dance it may be hard to envision/hear/sing to.


End file.
